


Frozen Heart

by NightLady



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-06-18
Packaged: 2018-02-04 02:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 27,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1763335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightLady/pseuds/NightLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place after 3x22. Regina Mills is left heartbroken when Robin reunites with Marian. She does not realize that the man is still very much in love with her and continues to push him away because she does not want to break his family up. Things get complicated with the arrival of a new foe and once again, she has to team up with the Charmings, the Savior and the Dark One to save Storybrooke, all whilst coping with her feelings for Robin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning of the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for any mistakes there may be in this story. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the show.

"You'd better hope to hell that you didn't bring anything else back," Regina spat at Emma before turning around and leaving the diner. The heartache she was experiencing was comparable to what she had felt when they had been sent back to the Enchanted Forest after she undid her curse - when she thought that she would never see her son again.

 

For the first time in forever, she had thought that she'd finally found love again. She had been shocked to see the lion tattoo on Robin's arm but she could not deny that Tinkerbell was right. Pixie dust never lies. She had gradually opened her heart to Robin, allowing herself to fall fast and hard for the charming outlaw. Just when she thought that she could love again, this happened. That foolish idiot, Emma, had to bring back Robin's wife, Marian, and from the past, she should add. The thought of how Robin had approached Marian and kissed her felt like a stab to Regina's heart. The former Evil Queen could still feel his delicious lips against hers when he had kissed her barely fifteen minutes ago before they entered the Diner.

 

Braving the cold night air, Regina wrapped her coat tightly around herself and trudged home, a lone tear slipping down her face as she recalled all the good times she and Robin had. The pain in her heart was almost unbearable. She had a strong urge to simply rip out her precious heart and hide it somewhere, just like her own mother had done before. Yet, she knew that this was not the solution and would hardly ease the pain. She was disappointed, angry and heartbroken. The emotional turmoil she was undergoing was written on her face and Regina had not even bothered to hide it with her trademark smirk. No, she could not even bring herself to mask her pain.

 

When she reached the mansion, the night's temperature seemed to have dropped even lower than when she had left the diner a while ago. It seems too cold for Spring but she dismissed the thought. Once inside, she dragged herself into the kitchen to get a bottle of whiskey, before heading to her bedroom. There, she drank until she had emptied the bottle, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face as she tried to nurse her broken heart. It was only when she had drank all the whiskey that she remembered how symbolic the drink was, setting off another wave of pain in her heart. Whiskey had been the tool which Robin and Regina had used when they had flirt with each other in Zelena's farmhouse.

 

Seemingly unable to take the heartache anymore, she slipped back into her old habits. She sent the empty bottle flying across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into smithereens, just like her heart. She got up and swept everything off her vanity, throwing glass bottles onto the ground in hopes that this will bring her some relief. But it doesn't. A stinging pain on her right hand brings her back to her senses. Somehow, amidst her tantrum, she had managed to cut her hand rather deeply. The blood was dripping onto the floor slowly. Regina does not even try to heal herself with magic. Other than wrapping it haphazardly with a strip of purple cloth, she lets it be. The physical pain seems to be able to ease her emotional pain ever so slightly. Curling into a ball on her bed, she cried herself to sleep and vowed to bury her pain after tonight.

 

* * *

 

Emma watched the brunette leave. She was suddenly laden with so much guilt. She hadn't expected this to happen. All she wanted was to save the innocent woman's life. Yet, her actions had led to Regina losing her second love, her second chance. Regina had changed for the better and even so, she had ruined any chance of happiness for the Queen, just as Snow had done back then. Emma was now at a loss as to what to do. She could not undo her actions, despite wishing so hard that she could. She knew that she was lucky Regina was no longer the Evil Queen she used to be. She had only just experienced her wrath a moment ago when they travelled back to the past. She knew that the old Regina would have sent a fireball heading straight for both Marian and her the moment Robin had recognised his wife.

 

Emma glanced nervously at the bittersweet family reunion in front of her and sighed. She was now more worried about Regina. How would she react to this, especially since she has changed? A familiar voice broke her train of thoughts and provided her with the perfect solution.

 

"Mom? Where did my mom go? And who is that woman Robin is hugging?" Henry asked, his face scrunched up worriedly. He was bewildered to see Robin and Roland hugging the woman his mother brought back with her. He knew that Robin had come with his adoptive mother and that they were an item.

 

"Listen, kid, I screwed up," Emma explained. "That woman, Marian, is Robin's previously-dead wife. I thought I was saving her when I brought her back but well, I might've just destroyed Regina's happiness..."

 

Henry simply looked at her and sighed. Sometimes, his biological mother could be too noble for her own good. "So, where's my mom now?"

 

"I don't know. She left a moment ago, most likely back to her residence. Come on, I'll drive you." The pair of them headed outside to Emma's yellow bug and Emma dropped him off at the mansion. She had decided against entering with him for fear of upsetting Regina even further.

 

"Call me if you need me."

 

Henry nodded and ran into the house. It was dark and cold. Henry ran to his mother's room and was relieved to find Regina asleep on the bed. His relief, however, was short-lived when he saw the wreckage in the room, as well as the blood stains on the floor. Treading carefully, he approached Regina. Her tear-stained face reflected the emotional pain she was going through. She had not tied the purple strip of cloth properly and her bleeding wound had now stained the white sheets slightly.

 

Henry went to grab the first-aid box and helped his mother disinfect her wound. He was sure that this would sting, but Regina did not even stir. There was a slight frown on her face though. Henry then bandaged the wound securely and proceeded to clearing the room of the mess. Once he was done, he climbed into bed next to his mother and fell asleep cuddling her, just like they used to do when he was younger.

 

* * *

 

_Regina glared at the nail, as though it would come to life and allow her to kill it simply because she had scraped her hand against it. Her hand was stinging with pain and she frowned._

_"You alright there, Regina?"_

_Regina whipped around at the sound of the voice and found herself face-to-face with her long-dead love Daniel._

_"Daniel," She breathed, "How... What are you doing here?"_

_Her fiance simply smiled at her and took her hand, studying her wound closely. He blew on it, as if it would heal if he did that. To her utmost surprise, it did just that. Regina simply looked at him, gaping._

_"I know you're hurting, love. You have been since you lost me, and then your parents, even Henry, for a period of time. Now, you've found love again." Daniel smiled sadly._

_"Yet, I've lost him so quickly," Regina replied, her lips trembling. Daniel reached out and gently pushed a lock of hair away from her face._

_"My dear, love is complicated. Love isn't simply possessing. He loves you too, just as deeply as you do. Put yourself in his shoes," Daniel said softly._

 

* * *

 

Regina woke up with tears in her eyes. It had been awhile since she had last dreamt of Daniel. Just like with so many of their conversations back when he was alive, Regina understood perfectly well the message he had been trying to convey to her in her dream. Robin's reaction had been one of pure instinct; She could not blame him for that. As much as it pained her, she could not let the decision of choosing between his wife and herself fall onto the man, or it may rip him apart. Thus, Regina decided that she would choose for him. She would be the one to let go. Roland needs his mother and judging by Marian's reaction towards her the previous night, Regina must have had caused her some kind of grievance during her days as the Evil Queen. Furthermore, regardless of how the situation would turn out, Regina would end up being the third party in the relationship, especially since Marian and Robin are married.

 

The cocktail of the Whiskey last night and her thoughts was giving her a pounding headache. To top it off, it was freezing cold, although there was something - or someone - warming her side. She turned to find Henry snuggled next to her, peacefully asleep and smiled. It did not matter, the pain she was feeling, all that matters was that she had Henry to help her through it all. He was of utmost importance to her. She gently extracted herself from his arms and went to switch on the heating system before going to shut the windows.

 

It was when she had reached the window when she stopped dead in her tracks and gasped. Henry sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes. "What is it, Mom?" He asked and then saw what had shocked his mother this much.

 

It was snowing in Storybrooke in late Spring.

 

 


	2. Breakfast

A wave of nausea swept through Regina and she ran to the bathroom. She was followed closely by a worried Henry. There, she retched but nothing came out as her stomach was empty.

 

"Are you okay, Mom?" Henry asked, concerned about the state his mother was in. She simply nodded and waved him out of the bathroom. She stayed in the bathroom until she felt better and decided to take a shower.

 

By the time Regina was done, Henry had already left her room. She still felt slightly nauseous and her headache was not helping at all. For the first time that morning, Regina noticed that her wound had been bandaged up properly, most likely by Henry. Deciding that she probably wasn't setting the best example for Henry by allowing herself to be hurt this way, Regina removed the bandage and healed her wound with magic. She tried to do the same with her hangover but couldn't seem to make the nausea go away.

 

The doorbell rang and Henry went to get the door. There stood the Charmings, bundled up in Winter Wear, with Snow clutching on to baby Neal tightly. Emma was not present and Henry couldn't help but think that perhaps she was afraid to face Regina after the debacle last night. Henry let his Grandparents in and they were grateful to be enveloped by the warmth of the house.

 

"Henry, where's Regina?" David enquired.

 

"Mom's puking in the bathroom," Henry replied, just as Regina came down.

 

"Regina, are you okay?" Snow asked, frowning with worry. "I'm sorry we had to call in on you this early. It's just, you know, the weather..." She trailed off.

 

Swallowing the wave of nausea she was feeling, Regina replied, "It's just a hangover. Doesn't hurt more than what your daughter has already done to me."

 

Snow winced at her remark. Charming opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Regina, "Of course, we've got more pressing issues. Perhaps you'd like to ask the Savior over and we'll discuss the weather. Breakfast?"

 

Without waiting for the Charmings to reply, she headed into the kitchen. She had just brought out an apple pie and set the table when the doorbell rang for the second time that morning. "I'll get it, you guys just help yourself to the food. Especially you, Henry. You're still a growing boy," Regina nagged at her son before opening the door to let Emma in.

 

Emma was standing on Regina's porch, decked out in just her usual leather jacket, a shirt and jeans. She stared nervously at Regina and although she was freezing, made no move to enter the house until Regina said something. Regina moved aside to let her in.

 

"It must've been really warm out there, huh," Regina said sarcastically when she saw Emma's outfit. At least the woman had enough sense to wear a long-sleeved shirt but that was definitely not enough for such cold weather. Emma simply hurried into the house, mumbling something about leaving all her winter clothes in New York and having nothing warmer to wear.

 

Regina served her a cup of hot coffee and some pie. The blonde looked up at her in surprise and Regina simply rolled her eyes and said, "I haven't forgiven you for bringing Marian back. But right now, Storybrooke becoming Winterbrooke is a major problem and to help solve that problem, we need all the energy we have." With that, Regina took a bite of her own slice of the pie and spat it out almost immediately. She stared at the Charmings and Henry and their near-empty plates, perplexed.

 

"How did you guys finish eating something that tastes this horrible so quickly?"

 

They simply looked back at her as though she was speaking in a strange language. Emma took a tentative bite of her pie and turned to look at Regina with concern. "It tastes perfectly fine, Regina. It's as good as you usually make it."

 

"That's impossible. I don't make such disgusting pie," Regina retorted and pushed her own plate away.

 

David simply raised an eyebrow. "Well, let's get down to business. Regina, any idea what's causing this?"

 

"Well, definitely not me," She replied in a monotonous voice. "Why don't you ask your precious daughter what else she brought back besides Marian," Regina continued, looking pointedly at Emma.

 

Emma stopped short, with her fork halfway to her mouth. "Look, I really have no idea. And I'm really sorry, Regina, I am," She sighed, putting her fork down. They all knew that this was getting nowhere and Regina was getting tired of Emma constantly apologising. She stood up, collected the empty plates and headed into the kitchen. Emma made a move to follow her but David stopped her. Snow shook her head at her.

 

"Emma, she's hurting. The only thing we can do now is help her get through it as a family, without constantly reminding her of what she just lost. Right now, I think she needs Henry most," Snow said softly to her daughter before turning to look at Henry. Henry nodded in understanding and went into the kitchen to help his mother with the dishes. Emma simply sighed. She knew her mother was correct but she still felt guilty and wanted to make it up to Regina.

 

Henry entered the kitchen to see Regina holding a plate over the sink, staring into space. He gently took the plate from her and began doing the dishes. "Mom, let me do it. Is your hand better?" He glanced at her injured hand only to find that it had completely healed.

 

"I healed it with magic. Although the nausea from the hangover is still here," Regina smiled and pat her son's head. Mother and son fell silent as Regina looked out of the window at the blanket of snow Storybrooke was now covered in. The pain was still there, just like when she had lost Daniel. Yet, this time, she refuses to let it get the better of her. Daniel's death had forced her down a dark path; One which Henry had rescued her from. This time, she was determined not to cave in to the darkness, because Henry needed her.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by Snow, who popped her head into the kitchen to inform her of a town meeting that was about to take place. As always, David wanted to tell the townsfolk that they would get to the bottom of this and save Storybrooke once again. Regina was about to tell the Charmings that she didn't want to attend the meeting when Snow, seemingly able to read her thoughts, said, "Regina, I know that you probably don't want to see some people. I understand that you're tired of them accusing you over and over again of things you didn't do. But your absence at the meeting will only making harder to prove your innocence."

 

Regina sighed, defeated. "Fine, I'll go."

 

 


	3. The Meeting

Regina steeled herself for what was to come before entering the Town Hall with Emma and the Charmings. The minute the townsfolk caught sight of her, the mumblings and whisperings grew louder. Some were daring enough to point at her until she glared at them. Despite the hostility of some of the townsfolk, Regina stood her place next to the Charmings.

 

"Citizens of Storybrooke," David began, his voice booming across the hall. "As you all know, we have reason to believe that Storybrooke is once again, under some form of magical attack." He continued, before clearing his throat when the murmurings grew louder.

 

As David spoke, Regina looked around the Hall. She hadn't seen any of the Hoods, only Little John was present on behalf of the Merry Men. On one hand, she was glad she didn't have to face Robin. On the other, she was somewhat disappointed to not see him.

 

"It has been confirmed that Mayor Mills is not behind this, although Snow and I never suspected that she was. She was always more of the... Fiery type," David said, glancing at Regina nervously as he said the last part. Regina responded with a simple nod.

 

"We will all get to the bottom of this and in the meantime, everyone, especially the children, need to layer up. If anyone else has anything to say, now is your time to speak up." The townsfolk began to talk amongst themselves again before someone spoke up.

 

"How can you be sure that it wasn't her? She's the Evil Queen!" He bellowed from across the room. Before Regina or any of the Charmings could retort, Granny stood up for her.

 

"If she wanted to do this, she would've already put us under eternal frost during the first curse, you moron. Look at the poor girl, she looks almost too sick to even do something like that. Leave her alone," She barked back at the man, whom Regina recognised as one of the frequent patrons of The Rabbit Hole. Regina sent the old woman a weak smile as David wrapped up the meeting.

 

* * *

 

Granny was right. Regina did look sick. Her face was pale and she looked almost...weak. Regina looked away from the mirror and sat down at the nearest chair. Once the meeting had ended, Regina had disappeared into her vault whilst Emma and David headed for the library and Rumple's shop respectively, in search of the solution to this problem. Henry was with Snow, who was more than happy to be able to spend some quality time with her grandson.

 

Regina looked around the secret room in her vault. This was the only part of the vault with some form of heating. She had to admit that her vault had a major design flaw. It was so cold outside that she could barely look through some of her magic books before retreating back here. Thus, she had brought all of them into the room. She chose to begin with the thickest and had only been barely halfway through the book by evening.

 

Recalling that she had to pick Henry up from the Charmings, she placed the book to one side and headed for their apartment. During the drive there, Regina let her mind wander and she regretted it almost immediately. She had been so preoccupied the entire day that Robin, her handsome Robin, hadn’t crossed her mind. Yet, now, as she drove past the diner, she remembered their last kiss right outside. She could even feel his embrace. The pain of losing him felt like a sharp stab of a knife through her heart and a lone tear slipped down her face. She bit on her lip to prevent herself from crying and composed herself before knocking on the door to Snow and David’s apartment.

 

“Regina! You’re just in time for dinner,” Snow’s bright voice rang out as she opened the door. However, her face fell when she caught the look on Regina’s face. She decided against talking to her about it, though, since Regina had never been very interested in sharing her problems.

 

Dinner was an uncomfortable affair. Regina was tense and quiet throughout and Emma was steeling herself for the conversation she was about to have with Regina. The five of them ate quietly until Emma finally found the courage to break the silence.

 

“Regina, remember when I talked about bringing Henry back to New York?” The moment ‘New York’ was mentioned, Regina sat up defensively and glared at Emma.

 

“Listen here, Ms. Swan,” Regina growled before being interrupted by Emma, who had expected this to happen.

 

“No! You listen!” Emma exclaimed and Regina was taken aback, effectively shutting her up.

 

“As I was about to say, I’ve decided to stay here in Storybrooke. Since the apartment is getting pretty crowded, I will be looking for somewhere else to stay and Henry’s going to move back to your place.” Regina was visibly surprised and her heart jumped when she heard that Henry would be moving back. For the first time since yesterday, she smiled.

 

“Really?” She breathed, her eyes filled with hope.

 

Emma nodded, “Of course, once I find an apartment, the arrangement would somewhat change but Henry should still be spending half the time at your place.”

 

Regina looked at Henry in disbelief and grinned when her son nodded in confirmation. “I’m moving back tonight, if you don’t mind,” Henry added.

  
Regina reached out and hugged her son. “You know that I’ve never kept you from moving back. It’s always your home too.”


	4. The Diner

The next few days passed without much incident. It had been pretty much routine, with Regina sending Henry to school and heading to her vault to work on finding out something about the queer weather.

 

Snow had decided to try to invite Regina to dinner once again and was pleasantly surprised when she accepted. Regina recognised her efforts in trying to get her out of her house and her vault and decided that it wouldn’t hurt to have dinner with her stepdaughter’s family. She hadn’t been to town for the past few days to avoid meeting Robin and it had served her well in becoming stronger.

 

She misses Robin dearly. She misses his handsome face, his bright smile, his tender touch and his fatherly qualities. She even misses Roland, sweet little Roland and his toothy grin and determination to be just like his father. Regina knew that she was going to need more distractions from how deeply she feels for Robin, if she were to be the one to withdraw from their love triangle.

 

The moment she entered the Charmings’ apartment, the smell hit her from out of nowhere. She rushed into the bathroom and began retching. A concerned Snow and Emma appeared in the doorway.

 

“Regina, are you alright?” Snow asked softly.

 

“What the hell are you cooking? It smells worse than the Dark Curse,” Regina forced out before she returned to the retching, trying to vomit due to the nausea. Snow and Emma shared a strange look before Snow approached Regina and rubbed her back gently.

 

“It’s just mackerel,” Snow explained. “Listen, Regina, why don’t Emma and I accompany you to the Diner for dinner and the boys can stay here and finish the fish?”

 

Regina shook her head, “No, not the Diner. I… I can’t.”

 

The Diner brought back too many of her memories with Robin, especially her most painful one, when Robin had been reunited with Marian.

 

“Emma, drive Regina home. I’ll buy something from the Diner and meet you there,” Snow ordered, leaving no room for protests by any of the other two women.

 

The drive back to the mansion was awkward. Emma was still somewhat nervous around Regina due to her guilt and Regina remained hostile towards her. The two of them sat in silence for a long time.

 

“I forgive you.”

 

Emma turned and stared at the brunette in shock.

 

“It’s in your blood to do good. You did save a life and you did reduce my murder count by one. Perhaps it’s supposed to happen this way, maybe I’m meant to be alone,” Regina explained, her voice breaking at the last part.

 

“I… I’m really, really sorry, Regina,” Emma said.

 

“Yeah, you’ve said that about a million times,” Regina muttered and the blonde smiled sheepishly.

 

“Thank you for forgiving me. But you won’t be alone. You’ll always have Henry. You’ll also have Snow and David and even me. We’re your family,” Emma continued.

 

Regina made a face. “The Un-Charmings? No, thank you,” She said, earning yet another smile from Emma.

 

* * *

Robin sat in a booth at the Diner, drinking. It had been days since he last saw Regina and he missed her terribly. Amidst all the excitement of Marian’s return, he had failed to catch her before she left the diner. He knew she has been avoiding him and it has been hard not seeing her at all.

 

Marian was his wife and he had been glad when they were reunited. That night, he had filled her in on everything that has happened since she supposedly died. What he didn’t realise was that he had been unconsciously talking about Regina a bit too much. He told her about when she had saved Roland from the flying monkey and how Regina’s first concern upon him losing her heart was actually Roland’s wellbeing.

 

Marian had always been able to read him like an open book and she knew when he has moved on. It had hurt her but she knew that she couldn’t keep him by her side when his heart obviously yearned for someone else. That was what she had told him. When he had protested and told her that he still loved her, Marian had retorted, saying that she knew he did, but he and Regina shared a deeper love now.

 

Thus, Marian had decided that Robin would be better off with Regina. Roland was also her son and hence, they would be sharing custody. Robin still felt conflicted, he did. He loves both women and he doesn’t want to hurt any of them. Marian’s decision made things easier but he still felt that he had a duty to her. He needed more time, which is why he was sitting here at the diner, drinking on his own.

 

The chime of the door and a flash of black hair broke him from his thoughts as he looked up expectantly. His heart sank when he saw that the person who just entered the diner was not Regina, but Snow White. She sent a sad smile his way and went to order from Ruby.

 

Snow’s heart clenched when she saw the state Robin was in. She knew it mustn’t be easy for him, having to choose between his wife and soulmate. She ordered her food and slid into the booth opposite him.

 

“How is she?” Robin muttered, his eyes downcast. He had heard from Little John that Regina looked ill on the day of the town meeting but no one else had given him any other news.

 

“Just like you,” Snow replied honestly, “Except, she has also been sick.”

 

Robin looked up, his eyes willing her to tell him more, only to be disappointed when Ruby arrived with her takeaway and Snow left the diner.

 

* * *

 “I saw Robin at the diner,” Snow whispered to Emma the moment she opened the door to Regina’s home. “He isn’t looking any better than she is.”

 

Emma sighed, “You going to tell her?”

 

Snow simply shook her head. “We should probably work on breaking that first news to her first.”

 

Mother and daughter entered the house where Regina was already seated at the dining table with a cup of tea. Snow placed the food on the table.

 

Once they were done eating, Snow mustered up her courage and said, “Regina,there’s something we need to talk to you about.”

 

Regina looked up and raised an eyebrow.

 

Taking that as her cue to continue, Snow took her hand and said, “We suspect that you might be pregnant.”

 

The words dawned on Regina like a freight train. She glared at Snow in disbelief and snarled, “Bullshit.”

 

With that, she stormed into the living room and both Snow and Emma chased after her.

 

“Regina, listen,” Snow pleaded. Regina turned and looked at both women impatiently.

 

“It’s just, Henry has been worried about how you’ve been suffering from nausea every single day for the past few days,” Emma began.

 

“And from the way you reacted to the perfectly good apple pie that morning and the fish tonight, it’s all symptoms of pregnancy,” Snow continued.

 

“We would know, we’ve been pregnant before,” Emma added, only to be pushed roughly by Regina almost immediately.

 

“Are you mocking me, Ms. Swan?” Regina said angrily.

 

“Regina, please,” Snow said, stepping between the two women. To their surprise, Regina included, Regina stepped back and burst into tears.

  
“I can’t be pregnant…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After several chapters, we finally get to see how Robin has been coping with all these! To thank you all for waiting so patiently for updates, I shall post another chapter in a few minutes! :D


	5. Torn

_Regina glanced at Robin as he walked her to her room in the castle. He had been rather distracted for the past few days and she knew that it was because they've all been cooped up in the castle, unable to venture out due to the threat of the Wicked Witch._

_She kissed her soul mate deeply and guided him into the room. He gasped when he caught sight of how it mimics the forest perfectly. What had once been a Queen’s chambers had been replaced by trees. There was a clearing in the middle of the room and several thick blankets and cushions lay there. A small, crackling fire sat where the fireplace once was._

_Regina sat down on top of the blanket and patted on the empty spot next to her. He sat down and smiled at her._

_“You did this? For me?” He marveled, his hand stroking her face._

_She leaned into his touch and smiled, “Yes, but that’s not the best part. Look up.”_

_Robin followed her gaze and found out that the ceiling had been replaced by the night sky. Suddenly, it all made sense to him. She knew that he has been missing the forest and this explains why he hasn’t been seeing her much for the past couple of days. She was busy recreating the forest in her room, all for him._

_“You done thinking so much over there?” Regina said and Robin saw that she had laid down on the blanket. He too, laid down and then crashed his lips against hers. Regina ran her hand through his hair and pulled him closer. She put one leg around his waist and he ran his hand up her thigh._

_That night, they made passionate love to each other._

 

* * *

 Regina sat on the park bench, staring at the ultrasound picture in her hand as she remembered that fateful night back in the Enchanted Forest. According to the doctor, she was eight weeks pregnant. Well, this certainly complicates things. She couldn't tell Robin, as much as she knew how unfair to him she is being by doing this, she couldn't. Telling him would only result in him refusing to break things off with her. Telling him would only act like she was trapping him. Although she knew he wouldn't think that way but others would.

 

The sound of a branch snapping brought her back to her senses. Noticing the subject of her thoughts approaching her, she hastily placed the ultrasound picture into her pocket and kept her hand there. This was something she did not want him to obtain with his nifty pick-pocketing skills.

 

Robin sat down next to Regina. He had caught a glimpse of the picture and although he did not know what exactly it was, he understood that it was something Regina did not want to share with him. He had been waiting for this moment the entire week and yet, he could not find the right words to say to her now. All he could do, was to take hold of her free hand.

 

Regina almost smiled at his touch. Yet, she knew that if she wanted to talk to him properly, it had to be done without her getting distracted by him. She pulled her hand back and regretted it almost immediately when she saw the hurt that flashed across his beautiful blue eyes.

 

“Robin,” She began softly. “I love you, very much so. But Marian’s return has certainly changed things between us.”

 

Robin felt that sense of impending doom and knew what was to come. He shook his head, “No, Regina, please.”

 

“No, Robin, this is the least I can do after all the evil things I did. Roland needs a proper family. He needs his mother and the three of you… You’re a family. I’ve always been the one destroying things and I… I don’t want to destroy your family, not again. I’m not deserving of any happy endings, but your family is.”

 

With that, Regina stood up and placed a lingering kiss on his cheek. “Goodbye, Robin. Take good care of your family and forget me.”

 

Regina plastered a smile on her face but Robin knew that behind that smile, was all the pain she was feeling. He could even see it in her eyes. He sat there in shock, as Regina left the park. This was not how he expected things to turn out. He wanted to tell her what Marian had said. He wanted to tell her that they could still be together. He wanted to tell her so much, to confide in her but instead, she had been the one to come up with a solution. She had been the one to let go. Robin let out an anguished cry at the loss of his soul mate. If he had known how, he would've ripped out his heart and crushed it on the spot.

 

Regina left the park, tears threatening to fall. Now that she had officially broke it off with Robin, she felt so cold and alone. She felt colder than the snow and ice around her. She wrapped her arms around herself and headed for her vault. She had not expected the meeting with Robin but she knew that there was something more important to settle right now. Thus, the walls that Robin had once broken down came up again. This time, no one would be allowed to break through them, other than her children.

* * *

 Mary Margaret and Emma found a sullen Regina in her vault, where they had arranged to meet. David would have tagged along but someone needed to cover Emma’ Sheriff duties during her absence.

 

“How was it?” Emma couldn't stop herself from asking.

 

Regina simply stared blankly at her for a moment. Realization dawned on her and she showed them the ultrasound.

 

“Eight weeks in… And I just broke up with Robin.”

 

“Oh, Regina…” Snow sat down next to the older woman and was about to hug her when Regina stopped her.

 

“I don’t need your pity,” Regina tried to snap at Snow but it sounded just like all the fight in her had gone out. She sighed, took her ultrasound picture back from Emma and reached out for a book bounded by maroon velvet.

 

Trying to change the subject, Regina brought their attention to a particular page in the book.

 

“I think that I've figured out what’s causing the weather. But we still have the problem of who holds that power and why he or she is doing this,” Regina explained.

 

“The sudden winter is caused by someone who holds the power to manipulate ice and snow. This person can either be cursed or born with the power. However, only those born with it can trigger the coldest winters and the strongest snowstorms. Those who yield the power should be treated with carefully for only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart,” She continued.

 

“It has already been a week and this is all the progress we’re getting,” Emma sighed.

 

Snow put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder and said, “All we need is a little hope. Our fight against Zelena took over a year.”

  
“Well then, let’s get to work and find a solution for the weather first,” Emma said, pointing towards the huge pile of books Regina had stacked in the corner.


	6. The Intervention

The next few weeks passed without warning. They hadn’t discovered any solution to the eternal winter Storybrooke appeared to have been cast under, neither were they any closer to discovering the identity of the mastermind. Emma had been to see Rumple, but he hadn’t been of much help. He had confirmed that someone with the powers was behind it but he was unable to provide any more information. Regina’s morning sickness hadn’t gotten any better. If any, it did get worse. She spends most mornings in the bathroom and occasionally, when it gets particularly bad, either Snow or Emma would come and help nurse her, courtesy of Henry. Henry had been excited to discover that he was getting a little sibling, but was disappointed to know that his mom had left Robin.

 

Regina lay in bed after a particularly bad bout of flu, coupled with the morning sickness. Snow had been over the night before with food and medication. Regina had gotten better overnight, but still felt pretty miserable. Before the curse had been broken, she had never gotten sick. Now, she was more vulnerable to sickness than ever.

 

When she felt well enough to get up, she left her room in her bathrobe and headed for the kitchen. She desperately needed some tea. Now that Snow had forbidden her from drinking coffee - not that she took orders from her anyway - Regina has been settling for tea. She was just about to take a sip from her tea when the doorbell rang. A jumble of footsteps coming down from the stairs indicated that Henry was running down to get the door.

 

As expected, he shouted from the halfway down the stairs, “I’ll get it! It must be Mary Margaret.”

 

Regina let him be and took a huge sip of her tea, her shoulders visibly relaxing with the comfort the tea brought her. There were voices in the foyer and Regina decided to go and take a look at why Henry was taking so long to let Snow in.

 

She stopped short when she saw Marian and Roland in her house, with Marian requesting to speak to her. Roland was the one who caught sight of her first and Regina’s breath hitched when she realised how badly she had missed this sweet little boy.

 

“ ‘Gina!” Roland screeched in delight and came barreling towards her as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Regina opened her arms as he jumped in and the two gave each other a tight and much-needed hug. Regina resisted the urge to kiss the little boy, not wanting to spread her germs to him.

 

“Roland, dear, I’ve missed you so. But you shouldn’t come near me, sweetheart, I’m sick,” Regina said softly to him as she put him down. Yet, all he did when she put him down was to latch onto her legs, making her laugh.

 

Regina looked up and smiled at Marian, “Hello, Marian. You were looking for me?”

 

“Well, yes, I’ve got something that I wanted to talk to you about. Is this a good time? Because you don’t look very well,” Marian said nervously. Regina never thought that she’d let anyone outside of her family see her this vulnerable and yet, here Marian was, when she was not at the peak of her health.

 

“It’s just a bit of flu,” Regina explained before looking down at Roland. “Roland, dear, go play with Henry. Your Mama and I have got things to talk about.”

 

Henry stepped forward and brought Roland up to his room. Regina invited Marian into the dining room before pouring Marian a cup of tea as well. There was a pregnant pause of silence between the two women before Marian made any attempts to speak.

 

“You left Robin,” She stated. Regina bit her lip at the mention of Robin and simply nodded.

 

“I couldn’t be the third party. I didn’t want to destroy his family. The three of you, you’re a complete unit. Moreover, Roland needs a complete family with his mother,” Regina said as she stared down at her cup of tea before taking another sip.

 

Marian sighed, “It seems like we’re more similar than we let on. The first night, when Emma brought me back, Robin filled me in on everything I missed. As much as I love him, I could feel that he has already moved on.”

 

“Marian, I…” Regina tried to interrupt but Marian continued speaking.

“He still loves me, but that love isn’t what we used to be. It’s more of a… dead wife kind of love. It’s hard to explain but I feel it. The way he spoke about you showed how deeply in love with you he is. So, I told him that we should split up. We’d have joint custody of Roland and hopefully, it’ll all work out,” Marian explained.

 

“But you love him,” Regina breathed, perplexed by the idea that Marian would give up her family for Robin and Regina to be together.

 

“I do, but we wouldn’t be as happy together. I know you broke up with him two weeks ago and it’s for pretty much the same reason. We both want to see him happy. He won’t be happy with me, not when he still loves you. Our marriage would fail anyway because I wouldn’t be able to stand seeing him miss you whilst he is with me,” Marian continued.

 

“Why...Why are you telling me this?” Regina asked.

 

“Because I want the two of you to get back together,” Marian said simply as Regina raised her eyebrows.

 

Just then, the doorbell rang again and Regina went to get the door. The moment she opened the door, Mary Margaret pushed passed her, hands filled with grocery bags.

 

“Regina! You look better! How’s the morning sickness? I brought breakfast and hopefully, you can finish it without the nausea setting in,” Mary Margaret ratted off in her loud, cheerful voice before Regina could stop her.

 

With gritted teeth, Regina said to her, “Snow, we have guests.”

 

Alas, it was too late for Marian stood in the doorway between the living room and dining room, a surprised look on her face.

 

“Regina, you’re pregnant?” She marveled.

 

Mary Margaret simply looked at the two women and squeaked, “I’m sorry.”

 

“Yes, I’m pregnant,” Regina sighed. “Please, don’t tell Robin.” She then pleaded.

 

Marian looked like she was still trying to comprehend the situation that just unfolded in front of her eyes.

 

“But, he deserves to know, Regina. You should’ve seen how he has been acting since you broke up with him. Even Roland has noticed that his father has changed. That’s why I came here today - To ask you to reconcile with him.”

 

Regina looked at her, confused.

 

“He has been drinking down at the Rabbit Hole so much that I’m tired of hauling his drunken ass back every night. When he’s sober, all he does is stare emptily into space. Even Roland has been complaining that his Papa hasn’t been playing with him. The Merry Men have told me that his aiming has gotten so bad that he always misses,” Marian said, exasperated.

 

Regina sighed, “I’ll speak to him but please, I’m not ready to tell him about the baby. Please let that stay between us.”

 

Marian thought about it for awhile before agreeing to keeping that a secret for Regina. Marian understood that it wasn’t up to her to reveal Regina’s pregnancy to Robin, neither was she in the position to convince Regina to reveal it. She knows that it’s only a matter of time before Robin finds out but that was Regina’s and Robin’s bridge to cross. If Regina thinks that she is able to convince Robin to put down the bottle and live properly again without this big reveal, then Marian would keep that a secret for her. All Marian wanted was for Robin to be happy again and for Roland to get his father back.

 

Marian and Roland stayed for breakfast. The five of them sat at the dining table eating amicably. In spite of the morning sickness, Regina actually ate more than usual that morning. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Marian had come to look for her and there wasn’t a single strand of hatred in her voice when they spoke. Perhaps it was due to the company at breakfast.

 

* * *

 

There weren’t many leads in their search for the perpetrator until that afternoon. Regina had finally agreed to go to the Diner after so long and was dining with the Charmings and Henry when Leroy burst into the diner and approached them.

 

“Bodies… Frozen… People… Forest…” Leroy managed to get the four words out in between breaths. Regina’s heart skipped a beat when she heard ‘forest’, knowing full well that Robin could be amongst those who were frozen. Emma and Snow glanced at her, worry in their eyes but she returned their looks with one to reassure them that she was fine. David passed Leroy a glass of water and asked him to lead the party to the bodies.

 

Regina hadn’t even noticed that her hands were trembling when they reached the forest, until Henry took one hand in his and squeezed it. She looked down at him and he gave her a reassuring smile. Leroy led them to a clearing near the edge of the forest, where they saw a couple sitting on a mat, frozen in a block of ice. Regina recognised them as the couple who lives down the street from Granny’s Diner.

 

She approached the huge block of ice and reached out to touch it. “They’re still alive,” She said to the rest of the party when her fingers came into contact with the ice.

 

Regina placed both hands on the ice and began to try to melt it magically. It was taxing, doing it alone, but she was glad to see the ice melting at an acceptable rate. Not wanting a pregnant Regina to be exhausted from using too much magic, Emma stepped in and tried to help her. With both women working together, they managed to melt the huge block of ice rather quickly.

  
The couple were showing signs of deep frostbite and both David and Mary Margaret shrugged off their coats to prevent their frostbite from getting worse. They then drove them to the hospital so that Whale could work his magic. 


	7. Marshmallow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for language here. Although, it is just one word...

The cold weather did not help with Regina’s flu. If any, it made her sniffing worse, especially after an afternoon out in the forest. Yet, Regina still had to do this. She wrapped her winter coat tightly around herself and headed for The Rabbit Hole. Henry had gone to stay with Emma for the night so that Regina could at least settle some of her affairs with Robin.

 

The couple they found in the clearing had regained consciousness but Dr. Whale refused to let any of them near his patients until they had more or less fully recovered. Since they did not have enough details to continue working on the problem on hand, Regina was free to head down to the bar to look for Robin.

 

Finding Robin was easy enough. He was seated alone, at the bar, nursing a drink. Regina approached him, attracting the curious gazes of most in the bar. She shot them her usual icy glare and they looked away almost immediately. Her lips tilted up into a small smirk, glad that she still had that effect on people. Sure, she wanted the townsfolk to accept her as Regina, but the people who frequent The Rabbit Hole? That was a different story altogether.

 

“Hello, Robin,” She said as she took the seat next to him.

 

His eyes grew wide with surprise when he saw her and he gave her a wide smile that caused an aching tug in her heart. “Regina, what a lovely surprise! Can I offer you a drink?” He asked, beckoning the bartender over.

 

Regina could tell that Robin was already slightly drunk, despite the fact that she had chosen to come here earlier in hopes to catch him in his more sober state. “I’ll take juice if you have it. If not, I’ll pass,” Regina said to the bartender, whose name escaped her memory.

 

“Still not drinking, huh?” Robin chuckled. Before she knew it, Robin had closed the gap between them and his lips met hers. For a moment, she returned his kiss, until she remembered what she was here for. Pushing him away, she regrettably broke the kiss.

 

“Robin, I’m not here for this,” She frowned. Robin stared at her, confused and Regina could see the hurt in his eyes.

 

“Then what are you here for, Regina? God, I’ve missed you so,” Robin broke out, burying his head in his hands.

 

Regina sighed, and placed her hand on his bicep, “ Robin, you know you can’t continue on like this. It’s destroying you. It’s destroying everyone you love, who loves you back. Hell, Marian told me that even Roland can sense his father’s absence...”

 

Robin looked up in surprise, “You talked to Marian?”

 

“She came to me,” Regina said softly. “She just wants the best for you. So do I. We all love you enough to not want to see you destroy yourself this way - By behaving like a drunkard. You need to get sober and take good care of your family, Roland especially. Do you think that you’re setting a good example this way?”

 

“Our problems… They must remain between the three of us, Robin. It’ll take time to settle everything, but Roland must not be at the receiving end of the pain that arises from it all. He is but a child, one who needs his father. You need to sober up, for Roland. And even for Marian and I…” Regina’s voice trailed off.

 

Blue eyes stared deep into her brown ones. Robin nodded with resolution. “Fine, I’ll stop spending my days holed up in here. But Regina, you have to promise me that you’ll stop avoiding me. The past few weeks have been horrible. Both of you have been throwing me to each other. You don’t even know the pain this has caused me, being unable to choose between my wife and soulmate. So please, stop avoiding me and regardless of how long it’s going to take, let us all settle everything together.”

 

Regina smiled and nodded. She then took a sip of the juice the bartender had served her and scowled at the bartender, “Urgh, what is in this thing?”

 

He looked bewildered for a moment and simply muttered, “Orange juice…”

 

Robin simply laughed at the exchange. His laugh was cut short by tremors that shook the ground. Regina held on to the bar top in order to keep her balance. The bartender looked at her questioningly and she replied, “What? I may hate the taste of your orange juice but this is definitely not my doing.”

 

“Then what is this?” He asked. Whatever questions everyone in the bar had about the current situation was answered when someone ran into the bar, screaming in fear, “Giant snowman on the move!”

 

* * *

 

Despite the panic around her, Regina exuded a front of calmness. She stood her ground against the approaching snowman, fireball in hand. Why anyone would call that creature a snowman eludes her. Sure, it was made from snow, but with the icicle thorns sticking out from his upper body and ferocious look, it was a far cry from a snowman.

 

Robin was weaponless, but he refused to leave Regina’s side. Regina let the fireball grow in her hands and then aimed it at the giant snowman.

 

“Hey! Frosty!” She shouted, garnering the attention of the monster, which turned in the direction of her voice. She flung the fireball at him, melting a huge hole in his body but he seemed to be able to grow the ice and snow back pretty quickly.

 

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Regina said with a roll of her eyes. The snowman threw his head back and let out a huge, angry roar at Regina, sending a strong, cold blizzard towards her. Robin stepped in and wrapped his body around Regina’s to shield her from the cold blast. The ice shards which decorated the snowman’s body seemed to have grown dramatically as compared to before Regina had thrown the fireball at him.

 

The snowman stomped towards the two of them, just as the Sheriff’s squad car and David’s truck rounded the corner. Emma Swan stepped out and gaped at the behemoth in front of her.

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” She shouted, earning herself a glare from Regina for her vulgar outburst, as well as a disapproving frown from David.

 

“Regina managed to burn a hole in his body but he regenerated pretty quickly. I’m going to say we need a larger fire to melt the beast,” Robin updated them. David, seemingly noticing the unarmed Robin, stepped back into the truck and handed him Snow’s bow and arrow.

 

“I’ve heard that you’ve lost your aim. Now’s the time to get it back,” He said to Robin as he took the bow and arrow from him gratefully.

 

Emma began shooting at the snowman with her gun. Although it didn’t do much damage, it did distract him enough to switch his target from Regina to Emma. David ran forward and began slicing off icicles on the behemoth’s body whilst Robin tried shooting at the snowman but missed each time. Regina was throwing fireballs when she realised that Robin’s pathetic attempt at shooting was not helping.

 

“What happened to your arrow never missing it’s target?” Regina teased, hoping that it would help Robin get himself together and regain his shooting abilities.

 

“I…” Robin tried to retort but nothing came out. It was true that his aim has been way off since Marian’s return.

 

Regina smiled at him encouragingly and said, “Don’t worry, you can do it.” 

 

With a twist of her wrist, she then placed a spell upon his arrows so that they light up with fire when he shoots them. “We’re going to need more fire to melt the beast,” She explains, as she continues to shoot fireballs at the snowman.

 

“Miss Swan, I’m going to need you to use your magic to set that thing on fire. He won’t be able to regenerate all those holes that quickly,” Regina shouted to Emma, who appeared to be out of bullets. Emma nodded and tried to gather her magic using what Regina had taught her previously.

 

With Emma and Regina’s fireballs, Robin’s fire arrows - whose good aim seems to have returned considerably after Regina’s encouragement - and David’s swordplay, they manage to injure the snowman significantly. After a long and tiresome battle, they finally melted the huge thing.

  
Emma and David turned around and the four of them grinned at each other. Regina couldn’t help but smile at their victory but the next thing she knew, all she saw was darkness.


	8. The Hospital

“Regina!” Emma and David shouted at the same time, just as the Mayor fainted. Thankfully, Robin was close enough to catch her before she hit the ground.

 

“Regina, wake up, please,” Robin whispered as he shook her gently, but to no avail.

 

“We have to get her to the hospital, quick!” Emma said urgently to Robin. David was already in his truck and Robin carried Regina over. The party of four rushed to the hospital, where Dr. Whale was already waiting with a stretcher, no doubt having been warned beforehand by Emma.

 

One look from Emma was enough for David to understand what was going on in his daughter’s mind. He grabbed Robin’s arm and stopped him from following the doctor and Regina into the room.

 

“Let Emma and Dr. Whale handle it. We’re not needed inside,” David said. Robin glared at David but made no move to follow his soul mate into the room.

 

Once inside, Emma explained the situation to Whale, “You know about the baby. She has been down with a cold and we were just battling this huge snowman before she fainted. It could be magical exertion but with the baby, we just want to be sure they’re okay. And besides Regina herself, my parents, Henry, you and I, no one else should know about her pregnancy. I hope you understand.”

 

Dr. Whale nodded. He understood where he stands when it comes to doctor-patient confidentiality. He then began to check on his patient just as Emma left the room.

 

Robin approached Emma, concern written on his face. Emma held up both hands to stop him.

 

“Don’t worry, she’s in good hands. Dr. Whale will come out with the prognosis when he’s done,” She assured him.

Dr. Whale emerged from the room ten minutes later.

 

“Don’t worry, she’s fine. You may see her now,” He said to Robin. He then turned to Emma, “Miss Swan, if I may speak to you for a moment please.”

 

Emma nodded and followed Dr. Whale whilst David followed Robin into Regina’s room.

 

“Miss Mills and her child are both fine. She has simply over-exerted herself, both physically and magically. She can be discharged once she regains consciousness. I would recommend bed rest for the next few days, or at least until she has recovered from her flu. And before I forget, since her next prenatal appointment is technically on Thursday, I've taken the liberty to print this out as I was checking on the fetus just now. Do inform her that her next appointment can be scheduled for next month now.”

 

With that, the doctor handed Emma the latest ultrasound picture of Regina’s baby, which she immediately kept to prevent Robin from seeing it. She then entered the room and was glad to find that Regina had already woken up.

 

Regina sat up the moment Emma walked in. The look in her eyes echoed her concern about the well-being of her unborn child. Emma nodded reassuringly at her and she relaxed visibly. The silent exchange between them was not missed by Robin but he kept whatever questions he had about it to himself.

 

“Dr. Whale said that you've simply over-exerted yourself physically and magically. You can be discharged now but you’re on bed rest until you've fully recovered from the flu.” Emma said to the brunette lying on the hospital bed.

 

“Thank you,” Regina smiled at Emma. She then turned to Robin, “Hey, you've got to go. Return to Roland. I’m fine now.”

 

Robin stood up and sighed, “Take care of yourself.” He then instinctively kissed Regina on her forehead and left. He understood that they were going to have to take baby steps to solve their problems and right now, his son needed his father most.

 

* * *

 

Regina leaned against the propped pillow. She stared at the ultrasound image with tears in her eyes. She had been so relieved that her baby was fine. Her little Outlaw Prince or Princess was safe and healthy. She was, however, disappointed to learn that she had been put on bed rest. Regina had arranged to go on a shopping trip with the two female Charmings, seeing that her usual dresses, skirts and pants were getting pretty tight. She would have to get new underwear as well since her breasts were growing sore.

  
She wasn't showing yet, but that doesn't mean that she wasn't growing. Maternity clothes and underwear were a must and she was really itching to do some shopping. Deciding that she would blackmail the mother and daughter into bringing her shopping the next day, she fell into a deep slumber soon after that.


	9. Bed Rest and Little Threats

Regina woke up to the sound of plates and pans clanking from her kitchen. She wrapped her robe around her and was about to get up to investigate when Emma knocked on her door and entered before she could say anything.

 

“Seriously, Miss Swan, do you even know the reason behind knocking on doors? You just barged in here before I could even allow you in,” Regina scowled.

 

Emma’s smile never wavered and she simply set the tray on Regina’s bed, “Just get up already and wash up. Then you can enjoy breakfast in bed.”

 

Regina got up and headed for the bathroom. Before she closed the door behind her, she said to the blonde in her room, “Oh yes, Miss Swan, do bring the plate of food back into the dining room. I never eat in my room, let alone in my bed. And I can’t fathom the mess you made in my kitchen to produce this.”

 

Emma rolled her eyes and brought the tray back down. She had expected this from the ever prim and proper Regina Mills.

 

Snow and Henry looked up from their respective breakfasts with a knowing look.

 

“I told you so,” Henry grinned at his birth mother, unable to resist the jibe. Snow simply shook her head and smiled.

 

Regina came down soon after, tucking into her breakfast. Her nausea had begun to wane, which meant that she was able to eat more in the mornings.

 

Smiling to herself, Regina wiped her mouth with a napkin when she was done and glanced at both Emma and Snow. Emma caught her glance and sighed, “I recognize that smile, Regina. What is it that you want this time.”

 

Eager to put her plan into place, Regina grinned at the two of them.

 

“Now, Snow, I seem to recall that you indirectly caused my first love’s death, as well as my mother’s. And you, Emma, you are really sorry to have caused this… thing… between Robin, Marian and I, aren't you?” Regina said with an evil gleam in her eyes.

 

Emma narrowed her eyes and Snow frowned. “Haven’t you already forgiven us for those?” Snow asked.

 

Regina simply shrugged and said nonchalantly, “Sure, I have, but there’s just this tiny part of me that remains unconvinced.”

 

“What do you want now?”

 

“Let me out of this house for a bit. Take me shopping for maternity clothes.”

 

“Regina! You’re on bed rest! Besides, you can always borrow my clothes for the time being,” Snow burst out.

 

“And wear that sickly shade of pink and blue? No, thank you, Snow White. I want my own clothes,” Regina demanded, her behavior reminding Emma of that of a spoilt child. The thought caused Emma to burst out laughing, earning her a sharp glare from Regina.

 

Unable to do anything about the situation, both women acceded to Regina’s request. Of course, they had their own set of demands in exchange for bringing her shopping. Regina was to remain on bed rest for the rest of the week and their shopping trip would last only two hours.

 

Overjoyed at the thought of getting new clothes that actually fit her, Regina agreed readily and left to change into a pair of loose-fitting slacks and a black turtleneck sweater. These were better than her usual outfits, which had begun to feel pretty tight on her, despite the fact that she was barely showing so far.

 

* * *

 

Regina stared at the loose shirt that now adorned her body. It was better than having clothes that no longer fit. Lifting her new blouse, she studied her torso. She appeared to have put on some weight despite the morning sickness and Regina was pretty sure that she would begin showing soon.

 

Perhaps there were some benefits of the cold weather after all. Being bundled up in winter wear would mean that she can hide her baby bump for awhile longer when she were to begin showing. It pains her to keep something this important from Robin, but she had to.

 

What was supposed to be a two hour long shopping trip ended up taking the entire afternoon. She had, inadvertently, made Snow and Emma late for their meeting (Which Regina had failed to convince them to bring her to). The Charmings promised to fill her in on the details discussed during the meeting over dinner, which Regina decided she was going to make since there wasn't anyone home who could force her to stay in bed, other than Henry.

 

Sneaking out of the room and down into the kitchen, she started in her tracks when she saw that Henry was already in there, drinking straight out from a bottle of juice. Mother and Son stared at each other like deer caught by headlights.

 

“I won’t tell you off for that if you let me make dinner,” Regina said.

 

Henry pondered for a moment before his face broke into a conspiring grin, “Deal. But you have to let me help.”

  
If there was one thing his mother couldn't do, that would be staying in bed and doing nothing all day. She had always been an active person, and impatient nonetheless. Thus, Henry figured that he would never be able to convince her back to bed. He might as well help her with dinner if she insisted on cooking. That way, neither his Grandmother nor his other mother could blame him for anything.


	10. The Book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be spacing the updates over the next few days so that I complete the fic by the time I leave for my trip. :)

When Emma and her parents arrived at 108 Mifflin Street, they were surprised to discover that dinner was already ready and could be served any moment. Snow sighed at the older woman’s refusal to be put on bed rest and figured that this was better than her running around town.

 

Emma was torn between her disapproval at Henry allowing his mother out of bed to cook dinner and her urge to devour the entire pan of lasagna. Finally, she decided to simply settle for telling Henry off after dinner. “I’ll speak to you later about this, kiddo,” She said sternly to the boy who had now retreated to hiding behind his pregnant mother.

 

Regina simply chuckled and placed a protective arm around her son, “Oh no, I don’t think so, Miss Swan. Henry has been of more than enough help this evening. I suggest you let him off the hook.”

 

“Pun intended,” Regina added with a mischievous grin when she recalled that the Sheriff was in a relationship with a certain pirate.

 

Emma simply rolled her eyes and said exasperatedly, “Whatever happened to being the disciplinarian?”

 

“What can I say? He’s my son and I really hate being put on bed rest. Really, Miss Swan, if you want some of that lasagna, you’re going to have to forgo Henry’s punishment,” Regina smiled and proceeded to serving Snow and David some of her famous lasagna.

 

Defeated, Emma sat down and tucked ravenously into her plate of lasagna.

 

Snow then began to update Regina on the happenings during the meeting, with some input from Emma - despite the looks Regina was shooting her as she spoke with her mouth full.

 

The couple they found had woken up and said that they were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. They were eating peacefully when a woman came by with this giant snowman. The woman had long, blonde hair that was teased into a neat braid and she was dressed in a fancy blue gown. The giant snowman fit the description of what they had encountered the night before. The couple had explained that they overheard the woman saying something along the lines of revenge, as well as finding her way back to Arendelle.

 

“Arendelle…” Regina said under her breath. The name rang a bell but she found it impossible to put a finger on where she heard it before. She rested her head on one hand and drummed her fingers with her free hand, murmuring the name to herself over and over again.

 

“What is it, Regina?” David enquired. Regina looked up suddenly and grinned in victory. Before the others could react, she had already put on her coat and was ready to make her way outside. Everyone else chased after her, with Snow shouting to remind her that she was on bed rest.

 

“My vault, I need to get there!” She exclaimed, before getting into her Mercedes. Emma got into the passenger side before she could drive off, and reassured her parents and Henry that she would ensure that Regina wouldn’t come into harm’s way.

 

* * *

 

Regina reached for an old moth-eaten book and flipped through it urgently, until she got to the page she had been looking for.

 

“Arendelle,” She began to read. “A bustling kingdom which thrived on trade relations with neighbouring towns. It is located north of the Enchanted Forest, settled deep in the valleys of the North Mountain chain. Once under the rule of the late King Agdar and Queen Idun, the kingdom fell under the deep frost of the lost Ice Queen Elsa. The kingdom was usurped by Prince Hans of the Southern Isles when the Ice Queen went missing shortly after her coronation. Her only other kin, Princess Anna, was then taken prisoner and the frozen kingdom was shrouded in a dark haze, until the Princess was rescued by her true love. King Kristoff and Queen Anna now rule over the frozen kingdom, bringing it back to its old bustling glory.”

 

Emma looked at Regina in shock. If what she had just read out was true, then the foe they were facing had to be the lost Ice Queen Elsa. “If we are facing this Ice Queen, who happened to freeze her entire kingdom, then…” Emma trailed off as she began to verbalize her thoughts.

 

“Then she is more powerful than we all initially imagined,” Regina finished the sentence for her.

 

“Then we need to tell Mary Margaret and David about this,” Emma said, making a move to leave the vault. Regina stopped her almost immediately.

 

“No, wait, there’s more. There’s another book that may contain information about this Ice Queen and your mother would want to see it as well,” Regina said, before heading deeper into the vault to a room where Emma hadn’t even known to exist. The room was filled with shelves filled with books, stacked from the ground to the ceiling and caked with a thick layer of dust.

 

“Well, it looks like someone hasn’t been here in quite awhile,” Emma quipped. Regina ignored her comment and was about to climb the ladder when Emma stopped her.

 

“I’ll do it. Tell me which book,” She said. Regina looked at her, perplexed.

 

“You’re pregnant. I don’t want you to fall or anything and have my entire family and Robin haunt me for the rest of my life,” She added as Regina made way for her to climb.

 

“Top shelf, first book on the right. It’s bounded with black leather, with gold lacing. Handle the book carefully, or you’ll have your mother to answer to,” Regina said. Emma sent her a quizzical look at the mention of Mary Margaret and then focused at the matter on hand. She gingerly removed the book from the shelf and passed it to Regina, who then took it without a word and left the room.

 

* * *

 

“Where did you guys go?” A worried Snow asked the moment they stepped into the warmth of the house.

 

“To obtain these,” Regina showed the two books to Snow and her eyes widened at the sight of the one with gold lacing.

 

“Is that… Is that what I think it is?”

 

Regina nodded.

 

“But… How? I thought it went missing after all those years. I never thought that it would survive the first curse, let alone the other curses,” Snow said as she reached out and stroked the book gently.

 

“You always underestimate me, Snow,” Regina said simply.

 

The others watched their exchange with great confusion and interest.

 

“This can be considered the most valuable property in Leopold’s library. It has magical properties, allowing the viewer to divulge in information about any Royal,” Regina explained. “Snow has, of course, come across it before. But after Leopold died, it has never left my possession, despite the fact that I can no longer use it.”

 

Emma and David looked at her, confused.

 

“The book only allows the reigning monarch to view its contents and shortly before the Dark Curse, Snow and David overthrew me from the throne,” Regina continued, handing the book to Snow.

 

Before Snow took it, however, Regina added, “Do not think about looking up either Leopold or I, unless you’re ready for what you will find. The information will cause you much pain.”

 

It was clear that Regina did not want to tarnish Snow’s memory of Leopold. The memories of her years with the late King still haunted Regina regularly and it was something she did not want Snow’s pure mind to be tainted with. Leopold may have been a generous King but with Regina, she had always been just a trophy on display, hidden beneath the shadows of his late wife and precious daughter.

 

Snow agreed and Emma and Regina briefed her on their findings from the other book, as well as what she should be looking for in the magical book. Once Snow was ready, she opened the book and pricked her finger with a pin that Regina had provided. She let the drop of blood drip onto the pages of the book and thought of the name ‘Elsa of Arendelle’.

 

Immediately, words began to appear on the page and they were all disappointed to find that the information took up less than one page. After all, Regina seemed to recall that both Leopold and hers had taken up nearly all the pages in the book. Even her father, who could never have ascended his own throne, had appeared on more than ten pages.

 

_Queen Elsa of Arendelle was the first-born child of King Agdar and Queen Idun. Born with the power to control ice and snow, the late King and Queen kept her well-hidden in the castle, away from their people, after an incident that left her sister, Princess Anna, injured._

_Possessing powers stronger than that of anyone who ever yielded the same kind of power, Queen Elsa was told by the trolls that fear would be her worst enemy. The fear, having taken root in her heart, caused her to unleash her powers unto her kingdom on the night of her coronation. Arendelle has since been in deep frost. The Queen, having realised what she has done, fled into the mountains, never to be seen again._

Regina flipped the pages, only to find that every other page was blank. In fact, the moment she touched the book, the words begun to fade.

 

“Seriously? That’s all? Even my father got ten pages and this Ice Queen has less than one,” Regina huffed.

 

Snow placed her hand on Regina’s arm and squeezed a little. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her eventually. I’ll continue to read up on her family members to see if there’s anything useful. In the meantime, you need to return to your room. Must I remind you that you’re still on bed rest?”

 

Regina sighed, defeated, as she left for her room. She hadn’t even noticed how tired she was until she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow and didn’t wake up until noon the next day.

 

 


	11. The Calm Before The Storm

The house was empty when Regina awoke, or at least, she thought it was empty. Henry and Snow were both at school and Emma had her Sheriff duties, so she figured that meant that there was no one to keep her indoors. She smiled to herself and dressed up quickly, eager to head out to her vault. Regina felt useless at home; There wasn’t much to be done when you’re on bed rest. Her vault, however, was full of precious books that could shed more light on their mystery Ice Queen.

 

She had only just put on her coat and was about to open the front door when a familiar voice rang out from behind her, stopping her in her tracks.

 

“Where do you think you’re going, Regina?” Tink said.

 

Regina sighed, disappointed that she had been caught. She shrugged off her coat and turned around to face the blonde fairy, who was looking at her disapprovingly.

 

“Really, Tink? They sent you to keep me imprisoned in my own home?”

 

“They mean well, Regina. They just want you to recover quickly,” Tink said softly. “Besides, you’ve got your child to think of as well. Now, I cooked lunch, or breakfast in your case.”

 

With that, TInk left for the kitchen and Regina followed behind. She did not trust the fairy’s cooking at all and was prepared for the worst when she entered to find a spotless kitchen, just like how she usually keeps it.

 

Her surprise must have been written on her face, for Tink simply muttered something about the power of fairy dust. When Tink served her the food, Regina stared open-mouthed at the cream-colored goo in front of her.

 

“Go on, try it!” Tink smiled expectantly. Regina tentatively placed a forkful into her mouth. It didn’t taste as bad as it looked but it was not something Regina would usually agree to eat either. Yet, seeing the look on her friend’s face triggered something inside her and she couldn’t bear to hurt her feelings.

 

Thus, she simply said, “It tastes...exotic.”

 

Tink, of course, took that as a compliment and beamed at her, egging her to consume more of the stuff. Ever quick-thinking, Regina pretended to retch and ran straight for the bathroom.

 

“Morning sickness,” She explained to a frowning Tink when she returned. As much as she didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings, she did not want to consume that plate of goo either. Thus, although her morning sickness had pretty much waned, it still served as a good excuse.

 

The afternoon passed surprisingly quickly. Tink was obviously good company for Regina. Having not seen each other for quite awhile, they spent the afternoon catching up with each other.

* * *

 

Deep in the forest, at the clearing where the couple had been frozen solid, Elsa was putting into place her plan.

 

“My lovelies, tonight's the night I begin my plan. Tonight, my castle will rise and you shall protect it from intruders. These townsfolk will be nothing against us all,” Elsa addressed the two giant snowmen in front of her.

 

“My revenge on the Dark One shall be taken and we shall return to Arendelle to reclaim our land and save my sister.” The two snowmen grunted their approval and that night, there was an extra residence added to Storybrooke: A castle constructed purely from ice.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there needs to be some explanation here. Elsa’s last memory of Arendelle was that Hans has taken over it and captured her sister. She doesn’t know that Kristoff has already done that and that Arendelle is flourishing under the new King and Queen’s rule. So, yeah, she’s pretty much hell-bent on taking revenge then returning to fight Hans.


	12. Mommy

The discovery of the ice castle was kept hidden from Regina, who had been staying home the entire week. Tink, Emma and Snow took turns to stay with her and accompany her, but none of them updated her with the recent turn of events. This was done with the intention of keeping Regina on bed rest, since the stubborn woman would have escaped her home if they had told her about the ice castle.

 

One of the Merry Men had discovered the castle and notified the townsfolk the day it appeared. Since it was heavily guarded by the two giant snowmen, there was nothing much they could do. They had barely defeated one of the creatures and Emma was sure that unless they had better ammunition, there was no way they could fight two or more of those. They would simply have to wait until they had a better plan.

 

Anyone who approached the castle would have to face the two hostile snowmen. Thus, all they could do was to set up a watch team and have them monitor all activity at the castle from a distance. Hopefully, they would catch a glimpse of the Ice Queen. So far, however, there was hardly any movement.

 

Regina was tired of staying at home. She felt that she was well enough to be out but everyone else disagreed. After several protests and arguments, they finally came to a compromise that today would be the day she is finally let out of the house and into town.

 

Seeing that she was finally free, Regina decided to head over to Granny’s for lunch and to meet Henry there once he is let off from school. She had just barely stepped into the Diner when she was attacked by a tiny dark haired bundle.

 

“Roland!” Regina called out in surprise, picking up the little boy and giving him a loving kiss on the forehead. He held on tightly to her as she strode over to where Robin was standing.

 

“Hey, sorry about that. He’s always this excited to see you,” Robin smiled apologetically and invited Regina to sit with them. “Roland, let go of Regina,boy. You know you’re pretty heavy.”

 

Roland simply giggled and then looked at Regina for permission to continue sitting on her lap. Regina looked into his dark, round orbs and smiled, “It’s okay. You can sit on my lap.”

 

Robin let out an exaggerated sigh, making Roland giggle happily again.

 

“So, milady, what can I get you?” Robin asked, as he beckoned Ruby over to get Regina’s order.

 

“Just a chicken salad will do,” Regina smiled and begin to help Roland cut his fried fish into smaller bite-size pieces. Robin watched the two interact and his heart swelled with love. Regina was so wonderful with children which was why Roland adored her so much. When her food arrived, Roland willingly left his ‘seat’ on her lap to sit next to her. She immediately felt the loss but the little boy kept one hand on her lap. For the first time since Marian’s return, they were enjoying a meal like a family. It was the tiny moments like these that Regina cherished most and it was these moments that brought out the pain and fear of losing them as well.

 

“Regina, I wanted to thank you,” Robin began, and Regina shot him a confused look. “You rescued me from that drunken stupor and allowed my son to have his father back. I cannot thank you enough for that.”

 

“Don’t be silly, Robin. Marian was the one who asked me to go,” Regina muttered.

 

“Ah yes, Marian. We’re getting an annulment to our marriage. You guys call it divorce here?”

 

Regina looked up at him, surprised that he would be speaking to her about this, “Yes, divorce, Marian talked to me about something like that. But Robin, she’s your wife and you have Roland to consider. Are you sure?”

 

Robin nodded, “Marian proposed it. Dr. Hopper has been helping her with settling into this new world and she learned about it from him. As much as it hurts us, we both feel that it’s for the best. We would have joint custody of Roland.”

 

Regina nodded thoughtfully, just as Henry entered the Diner and slid into the booth, settling next to Robin.

 

“How was school today?” Regina smiled as Henry perused the menu which he already knew by heart.

 

“The usual, nothing interesting happened. Grandma needs to start giving us less homework though,” Henry complained and then went to order his sandwich.

 

Regina looked at her son disapprovingly, “Henry, you know that no matter how much you complain about that, I’m not going to make Snow give you less homework just so that you have more time to spend on videogames, right?”

 

Henry simply shrugged, “It’s worth a try each time anyway.”

 

Robin chuckled at the exchange and Regina rolled her eyes.

 

“ ‘Gina?” Roland said quietly. The woman turned towards him and smiled at him encouragingly. “Why does Henry have two Mamas? Does this mean that I can call you ‘Mom’ like he does too?” The innocent boy looked at her with hopeful eyes.

 

Regina’s breath hitched in her throat. Tears threatened to form in her eyes, of which she blinked furiously to prevent this display of emotions. She took a deep breath and said, “Well, darling, it’s hard to explain. But if you really want to, and your Papa and Mama allows, you can call me ‘Mommy’ like Henry does.”

 

Roland looked at his father with wide eyes, “Papa?”

 

Robin replied with a wide smile and a simple nod. “I’m sure your Mama will agree as well.”

 

The little boy threw his arms around Regina and buried his head in her neck. “Now you’re my Mommy too. I have two Mamas like Henry.” He murmured.

 

Regina could hold back no longer and she let the tears fall freely. She hugged Roland tightly and looked at Robin and Henry, who were both watching them with wide grins. Regina sniffed and wiped away her tears. She glanced nervously around the diner and was glad that there were only two other patrons. The pregnancy hormones were making it really difficult for her to keep her emotions in check and even harder to mask them.

 

 


	13. Frosted

“You didn’t even think to tell me?” Regina shrieked at Emma. They had finally informed her about the presence of a certain castle in Storybrooke and just like they had expected it, Regina did not take the news very well, especially since she had been kept in the dark about it for over a week.

 

“C’mon, Regina, we could barely handle one of those snowmen and now there are two of it. Who knows, the woman can create more easily,” Emma retorted.

 

Regina paced around the room, trying to digest the information. “So, it’s a castle made from ice. And there have not been much activity?”

 

Both Snow and Emma nodded in confirmation.

 

“Very well. She has made her move. Now, it’s time for mine,” Regina sneered. Snow and Emma glanced nervously at each other.

 

“What are you going to do?” Snow asked her stepmother.

 

“Every new home needs a house-warming party, my dear.” Regina said cryptically.

 

“Wait a moment, you’re not going there!” Emma exclaimed.

 

Regina dismissed what she said with a wave of her hand, “I am and I will go there alone, Miss Swan. It will just be a small talk, from one Queen to another.”

 

Before anyone could raise their protests, Regina left the room and headed upstairs.

 

* * *

 

“It’s dangerous, but you know that no one can stop Regina when she puts her mind to doing something,” David consoles his wife, who had been expressing her concern over Regina’s decision.

 

“Do you think it has something to do with what happened this afternoon, though?” Emma asked her parents.

 

“What happened?” Tink asked curiously. The four of them were discussing if they should stop Regina from going to the castle the next morning.

 

“Henry told me that they had a good lunch with Robin and Roland and Roland requested to call her ‘Mommy’,” Emma explained and Tink practically melted onto the floor.

 

“That is so sweet! Pixie dust never lies!” She exclaimed gleefully.

 

Yet, all she got was a sigh from Snow. “Tink, I know they’re soul mates and all but Regina’s still very vulnerable. Something like this happens and the next thing we know, she’s out to court danger.”

 

“Maybe it’s not related,” Tink retorted. “You know what? I’ll talk to her before she goes tomorrow,” She decided.

 

* * *

 

“Ah, I should’ve known that they would send you, Tink. But that does not mean that I will change my mind about going,” Regina said as she opened the door to let Tinkerbell in.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me? Roland asking to call you ‘Mommy’ is a big thing!” Tink said excitedly.

 

“Oh, that’s why you’re here?” Regina mused.

 

“Not exactly. But I don’t understand. You’re soul mates! His wife is kind of out of the picture and his son treats you as a mother, why aren’t you jumping into his arms? Do you want this to be a repeat of that night at the tavern?”

 

“Look, it’s complicated. I love Robin so much it hurts. Hell, I love Roland just as much. But that doesn’t mean that Robin and I will reunite any time soon. I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to reunite with him,” Regina said, taking a sip of her tea.

 

“You’re afraid,” Tink stated.

 

“Yes, I am. Will you leave me alone now? I have a queen to meet.”

 

“What are you afraid of? You could have so much more if you stay with him. But now, you’re just sending yourself into dangerous grounds, risking both your life and that of your unborn child.”

 

“You know how much pain I’ve been through. And that night at the Diner? I cannot have a repeat of that. The only way I can protect myself from that kind of pain is to live with what I have, and to protect everyone I love. If going there today gets me killed, then so be it. But I doubt so, because this Ice Queen? She is simply biding her time.”

 

Tink settled down in defeat. She had never been able to out-talk the woman and she never will be able to.

 

* * *

 

Regina glared at the two giant snowmen in front of her. She knew that Snow and the rest were watching her every movement from afar and she knew that this Ice Queen knows that as well.

 

“I demand to see your Queen,” Regina said firmly to the snowmen standing guard. She stood her ground, her posture befitting that of a true Queen. The snowmen remained in their positions, giving nothing away. A second later, the doors to the castle swung open.

 

Regina climbed the steps to the doors carefully. The steps were made from ice and she, of course, was wearing heels. She held on tightly to the icy railing, determined not to fall for it may end up with her losing the baby.

 

From where they were spying on the castle, Emma was cursing Regina for her foolish choice of footwear, as well as her decision to enter the castle alone.

 

Once inside, Regina was pleasantly surprised to find a red carpet rolled out in the main hall, as well as proper furniture. She had expected everything to be made of ice. She was thankful for the carpet, for that would mean that she did not have to try to balance precariously on the slippery surface.

 

“Ah, the Evil Queen. I have been expecting you,” A voice rang out from above. Regina looked up to see a blonde woman, decked in shimmery blue gown, descending from the stairs.

 

“You’re the Ice Queen? Pardon me if I don’t kneel before you.”

 

Elsa laughed, “I prefer Queen Elsa, or just Elsa would be fine. And I thought you were the warm one. Have a seat, Queen Regina, we have a lot to talk about.”

 

Regina took a seat on the armchair opposite Elsa. She studied the woman opposite her carefully.

 

“What brings you to Storybrooke?” Regina blurted out.

 

“Ah, ever the impatient and straightforward one, aren't you, Queen Regina?” Elsa smiled. It unsettled Regina how Elsa could be so relaxed and in her element. Then again, Regina always had her mask of confidence and calmness on when facing enemies.

 

“Please, spare me the title. My days as a queen are long over.”

 

“Very well, Regina. I was brought here by your lovely step-granddaughter and her handsome beau. Imagine my delight when I discovered that I was free from my prison.”

 

“Lovely and handsome? Please. Even I think that that’s stretching it a little,” Regina scoffed.

 

Elsa ignored her remark and continued, “I was elated to find that I could now exalt my revenge on the one who imprisoned me. Then shall I return to my kingdom and save my sister.”

 

“And who, may I ask, was the one responsible for your imprisonment?”

 

“Well, the Dark One, of course. You recognize that even my powers are limited, despite my great control over ice and my marshmallows, I have never been all that talented at attacking. He swooped in when I was most vulnerable and imprisoned me. Who knows what fate Arendelle lies in now.”

 

“Wait a minute. The Dark One? And Marshmallows?”

 

Elsa rolled her eyes. “My guards, they remind me of marshmallows on hot cocoa.”

 

“ _You’ve got to be kidding me. This woman is hell-bent on revenge and think of giant snowmen as marshmallows. She is more twisted than I thought._ ” Regina pondered.

 

“If the Dark One is who you’re after, why put Storybrooke under this Winter spell? Why do so much for the sake of catching one man?”

 

“Well, you see, darling, the cold never bothered me much. But to everyone else? That’s a different thing. I was simply making a statement. I was beckoning you to come. I’m surprised it took this long,” Elsa said with a sly smile.

 

“That marshmallow? It was to test your powers against me. And darling, what a wonderful time to get pregnant. I must congratulate you on that. You appear less powerful now that you’re expecting.”

 

“I appreciate you thinking so highly of me. What is it that you require of me?” Regina said with a slight growl.

 

“I have been told that the Dark One was your teacher. So you, shall help me catch him, whether you like it or not,” Elsa got up and strode towards Regina.

 

“And how will you do that?”

 

“With this,” Elsa said as a shot of cold blast left her hand and went straight for Regina’s womb. A chilling sensation passed through her abdomen and Regina realised with shock and horror what she had just subjected her unborn child to.

 

“No, no… What have you done?” Regina let out a broken half-sob.

 

“No, Regina, what have you not done?” Elsa said, that smile still plastered on her face.

 

“Your child’s heart has merely been shrouded in a thin layer of frost. The fetus will continue to grow, but if you were to defy my orders, then it will die. And all I need from you is one simple thing. Bring me the Dark One and your child shall live. Fail, and your child’s heart will truly be frozen. Oh yes, once you bring me the Dark One, I’ll also right Storybrooke’s weather. This will be our deal, Regina,” With that, Elsa left for her chambers.

 

 


	14. The Truth Is Out

“Are you sure we shouldn’t do anything about it? She has been in there for hours, since we got back,” Emma asked her parents.

 

“Regina has always been headstrong and resilient. She’s always gotten through all the adversities she faced. Maybe she just needs some time alone,” Snow replied.

 

“We’ll be at the Diner if you need us. We’re going to pick up some of those photos of Neal and then grab something to eat,” David said before heading outside.

 

Emma knew something was up with Regina, especially since she even refused the company of Henry. The moment they returned, she went straight to her room and shut the door. It has been three hours and she still wasn’t out. Figuring that her mother was probably right, Emma settled for making Henry some lunch: Microwaved Pizzas.

 

Regina was a mess. She was filled with such dread and regret. Why did she confront the woman? Why did she even venture there? Now, there was no turning back. She had to bring Rumplestiltskin to Elsa or her baby will die. She choked back a sob at the thought of losing her baby. How was she going to face Henry? And even Robin and Roland? Robin would be so disappointed with her. How could she have been so careless? Regina curled up into a ball on her bed, clutching her womb, silent tears streaming down her face.

 

* * *

 

Snow cradled baby Neal in her arms as David worked on putting the photos into the album. Having missed all of Emma’s childhood, the couple was determined not to miss a single detail of Neal’s. Thus, they had decided to document each moment with photos - an idea of Emma’s when Snow had gotten her first ultrasound image.

 

“There, all done! Let’s have a look, shall we?” David smiled at his wife and son. He turned the album around, so that his wife could see it and flipped to the first page.

 

“See, Neal, that’s you when you were in Mama’s womb,” Mary Margaret said softly to the baby in her arms. On the first page of the album was the first and only ultrasound image she had before she gave birth to the boy.

 

They were about to turn to the next page when someone stopped them.

 

“Wait a moment please, milady. What might that be?” Robin asked when he caught sight of the image. It was similar to the one Regina tried to hide from him and he had to know what that was.

 

Considering that Robin was still fairly new to this world and that there were plenty of new technology he didn’t understand, Snow smiled and explained to him the wonders of ultrasound.

 

“It’s an ultrasound image. It shows you how your baby is growing in the mother’s womb. This was when I was heavily pregnant with Neal. See this? That’s his head and his arms and fingers…” She droned on, getting carried away in her explanation.

 

Robin was trying to digest the information. If this was what Snow said it was, then what Regina tried to hide from him could very well be something like that. Realization dawned on him and he couldn’t help but snap at Snow.

 

“Regina is with child, isn’t she?” He said, raising his voice.

 

“Tell me! Is she pregnant?” He shouted, scaring both Snow and baby Neal. The baby began to whimper in her arms and she tried to soothe him.

 

David got up and placed a hand on Robin’s shoulder firmly, “Stop that. You’re scaring them.”

 

Robin relaxed slightly, but his eyes never left Mary Margaret’s. “Y...yes…” She nodded in confirmation. Before she could warn him about the state Regina was in, he had already left the Diner.

 

* * *

 

Robin was beyond mad. He was overjoyed at the new of becoming a father again but his anger got the better of him. He was conflicted. He was frustrated and disappointed with Regina. How could she have kept something this important from him? To think that Snow and her family knew about the pregnancy before he did. He thought back to the night where they fought the giant snowman. It was no wonder that she declined his drink. Thoughts ran through his mind so rapidly that they only fueled his rage. He felt rather betrayed by the woman he loves so much and to think that Regina had not just left him when she knew about the pregnancy but also endangered both the lives of their unborn child and herself left him fuming.

 

He banged on the front door of the mansion, demanding that Regina open the door immediately. Emma opened the door and tried to restrained him before he could barge in. David had warned her about this prior to Robin’s arrival, so she was somewhat prepared.

 

“I need to see her,” Robin demanded.

 

“No, not in this condition. You’re fuming and you’ll only hurt her further. She hasn’t been the same since she left the Ice Castle this morning,” Emma half-shouted at Robin.

 

When Robin calmed down slightly, she made the mistake of releasing him and he left for Regina’s room before Emma could stop him. He pounded on her door, requesting that Regina open it but there was no response.

 

Emma tried to pull him back but he shook off her grip and the next thing she knew, he had kicked open the locked door.

 

The state Regina was in shocked the both of them so much that Emma stood rooted to the spot and Robin felt an aching pain in his heart, his rage disappearing the moment he laid eyes on her.

 

Regina was sitting in her bed, leaning against a propped pillow. Her glistening, puffy eyes indicated that she had been crying and was on the brink of crying again. Her face reflected a certain amount of fear that both Robin and Emma had never seen her exude.

 

“Regina,” Robin breathed as he approached her. Regina turned her head and when she finally registered Robin’s presence, she crawled to the furthest corner of her bed, away from the approaching outlaw.

 

“No! Don’t come near me! Get out! Out!” She screamed hysterically.

 

Nothing could express the pain Robin felt to see his love in such a state. Robin ignored her screams and continued to approach her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, stopping her from her hysterics. Regina cried in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder.

 

“Hush, love,” Robin soothed, one hand stroking Regina’s hair whilst the other cradling her.

 

“C’mon, you have to tell me everything, including the pregnancy. I’m sorry, love, I won’t lose my temper on you anymore,” Robin whispered gently.

 

For the first time, Regina felt safer than she had ever been as Robin held her in his arms. She looked up at him and let the last of her tears flow.

 

“I’m sorry, Robin. What I did was foolish. I cannot bring myself to face you,” Regina said sadly, bringing her gaze away from his beautiful blue orbs.

 

“So please, leave me,” Her voice broke as she said that and she tried to extract herself from Robin’s arms but he simply tightened his hold on her.

 

“No. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together. Just tell me,” Robin pleaded.

 

She nodded and Robin let her go when she made a move to leave his arms. Regina had to do this properly. She sat opposite Robin, cross-legged, on her bed. She took a deep breath and began.

 

“I found out that I was pregnant the day we met in the park and I left you,” She glanced nervously at Robin to gauge his reaction but all he did was to give her a reassuring nod, encouraging her to go on.

 

“I couldn’t break up your family and I didn’t want you to feel trapped by the pregnancy so I decided against telling you about the baby. When Marian came to me, she found out and I made her swear not to tell you, so you can’t blame her for that.”

 

“Wait, Marian knows too? I’m the last one to know in this town, aren’t I? And damn it, Regina, I’m the child’s father!” Robin said darkly.

 

“I know, Robin, I’m sorry,” Regina near-whimpered. “Then after the fight with the snowman, I found out that my magical abilities had decreased significantly as a result of the pregnancy and I was put on bed rest because I had depleted so much of my energy. Yesterday, I found out about the Ice Queen’s castle and I decided to go this morning.”

 

“Oh, Robin, I’m so sorry. It was a stupid decision on my part,” Regina berated herself whilst Robin looked at her with great concern.

 

“I knew it was dangerous but I thought it was necessary to protect Henry, you, Roland and everyone I love. It somehow never crossed my mind that it would be a trap. Robin, I… She… She covered our unborn child’s heart with a layer of frost…” Regina broke off with a sob.

 

Robin looked at her disbelievingly. He had only just received news that he was a father again and now, it would be taken away from him?

 

“Is… Is our child dead?” He asked when he finally found the voice to.

 

To his immense relief, Regina shook her head and he felt joy bubbling in him. He still had a chance to be a father to their child. Hope filled him. If he or she was alive, they could still save their child.

 

“The frost would freeze the child’s heart if I fail to bring the Dark One to Elsa,” Regina explained. Robin nodded in understanding, and silence fell between the two of them. Regina kept quiet to allow Robin some time to digest the information. She was toying with the corner of her blanket when Robin took her hands, forcing her to look up. Her brown orbs got lost deep in Robin’s blue ones.

“Then we need to bring Rumplestiltskin to this Ice Queen,” Robin said resolutely. “We’ll save our child, no matter what it takes. Even if we have to make infinite amount of deals with the Dark One.”

 

 


	15. Sugar

The door to the local antique shop was flung open, the bell chimed loudly as a result of the somewhat violent action. The dark haired Mayor strode in with grace and purpose, with a blue-eyed Outlaw following closely behind her, his hand placed on the small of her back.

 

“Well, if it isn’t the Queen and her Outlaw,” Rumplestiltskin said monotonously.

 

“Congratulations on your matrimony, Rumple.”

 

“Why, thank you. And congratulations to both of you, on the pregnancy. Now, get to the point, dearie.”

 

“Just what did you do to the Ice Queen Elsa?” To her surprise, Rumple looked genuinely puzzled by her question.

 

“Oh, cut the act. She specifically requested for you or she’ll kill our child,” Robin cut in. Just then, Belle walked in to the front of the store.

 

“Wait, what was that?” She enquired, looking from the couple to her husband.

 

“I… have no idea, Belle. Would you care to elaborate, Miss Mills?” Rumple asked.

 

“I went to Elsa’s castle to see what she wanted and she cast a layer of frost around my fetus’ heart, demanding that I bring the Dark One to her, or face having a miscarriage as a result of my child’s frozen heart,” Regina repeated the story as calmly as she could. She felt Robin move closer to her, placing his arm around her waist protectively.

 

Belle gasped in horror. As much as she hated the woman, the child was innocent.

 

“You have to do something, Rumple,” She said to her husband. Rumple remained silent.

 

“C’mon, Rumple, whatever you did to this Ice Queen is why we’re under this eternal winter and now even an innocent child has been put to risk, you have to face the consequences. This is your saving grace, you can do something good for the town just by facing this woman,” Belle urged Rumplestiltskin.

 

Rumple took a deep breath and said, “Fine, I’ll go. But on my terms.”

 

Both Regina and Robin visibly relaxed and Regina let out the breath that she didn’t even know she had been holding in the first place. With Rumple, it had always been about deals and more deals. Regina had been prepared to do whatever it takes to get Rumple to go to the castle, so that she could save her child. Of course, she wasn’t prepared to sink back down to her dark methods, so she hopes that whatever the terms are, she wouldn’t have to resort to them. Belle has been a good thing for Rumple, changing him and helping him become a better person. Perhaps she saw that in her the very first time they met in the Enchanted Forest, perhaps that was why she never killed the girl and instead, kept her captive. Regina didn’t know what it was and she didn’t care anymore either. Gone were her Evil Queen days.

 

It turns out that Rumple’s requests were fairly simple. All he required was more information about the elemental Queen, more time and of course, that Belle goes with him. The second requirement was kind of made at the woman’s insistence and Rumple could hardly refuse his love, especially not with her level of persuasiveness over him.

 

“So, this Elsa, she conjured an entire ice palace, two giant snowmen, as well as casting our town under a seemingly eternal winter?” Belle repeated once Regina and Robin has explained everything.

 

“That is correct. She is much more powerful than I am. It took four people, two of which could wield fire magic, to melt one Marshmallow. Rumple, your magic may be much more powerful, but I’m not sure how powerful it is, compared to hers. So, if you can, you need to recall what you did to her,” Regina said wearily. She barely got enough sleep the night before and yesterday’s events continued to wear her down. This conversation simply took up more of whatever energy she had left and she dreadfully needed more sleep.

 

Sensing that the woman was tired, Rumple decided to adjourn the discussion, “Very well. I need more time to prepare for the meeting and I’m pretty sure you need some rest.”

 

“Thank you, Rumple, Belle. We’ll meet again next week,” Regina said and Robin bade the couple goodbye before heading out.

 

“Are you sure you’re in the state to drive?” Robin glanced worriedly at the brunette, who had just started her car’s engine. He has always been this attentive towards her, never failing to notice the signs and changes in her moods. It was amazing how Robin could always easily see through her masks and bring her comfort.

 

Regina smiled at Robin and proceeded to drive off, “I’m tired, not drunk. I just need some tea and food. Do you mind if we stop by Granny’s?”

 

“I could use something to eat, and some coffee as well,” Robin shrugged. He knew that Regina couldn’t sleep the night before, not when she had been worrying over their unborn child and the meeting with Rumplestiltskin. She hadn’t had much appetite that morning either.

 

When they arrived at Granny’s, the Diner was surprisingly full and the couple was glad that they managed to snag the last booth available. Regina practically sank into the soft seat at the booth and closed her eyes.

 

“Wow, you look like crap, Regina. No offense meant, though,” Ruby said when she came over to get their orders. Regina simply rolled her eyes.

 

“Just get me some tea and waffles with lots of whipped cream and maple syrup, Miss Lucas.”

 

“Right, what about you, Robin?” If Ruby was surprised at Regina’s order, she didn’t show it. Regina was always a stickler towards healthy food and she very rarely indulged in this much sugar.

 

“Just coffee and pancakes please. Thanks, Ruby,” Robin smiled. When Ruby was gone, Robin raised an eyebrow at Regina, “That much sugar?”

 

“If I don’t get caffeine, sugar’s the next thing I can go to. And right now, I need lots of it,” Regina sighed and rested her head on one hand. Robin took her free hand and held it, gently rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. The gesture, though simple, brought much comfort and reassurance to the woman. She could never shake the feeling that she was responsible for bringing this upon her own child and the thought of it made her feel like puking.

 

“Hey, it’s okay, alright? We’ll get through this together. Stop blaming yourself,” Robin said softly to her, as though he could read what had been on her mind.

 

Regina retracted her hand and looked up, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” She knew that Robin wouldn’t believe her but it was enough for him to understand that she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Ruby came by with their food and Regina tucked into it ravenously. She was hungry, despite the lump in her throat that made her feel like constantly vomiting since yesterday’s affairs. She forced herself to finish every single morsel because she knew that she was going to need all the sugar to get through the day without several cups of black coffee.

 

“Papa! Mommy!” A little bundle climbed into the booth and settled next to her, trying to bury himself deep in her side. Robin chuckled at the sight and Regina smiled and sat Roland on her lap instead. Marian appeared soon after, looking apologetic.

 

“I’m sorry, he just ran the moment he caught sight of the two of you,” She said.

 

Regina smiled warmly at the woman, “No, it’s alright. Do have a seat and join us.”

 

Marian sat down next to Robin, only to be on the receiving end of a glare from a displeased Robin. Regina knew that he was pretending to be angry and bit back a smile.

 

“Robin Hood, we may be separated but I still know when you’re faking displeasure,” Marian said in a bored tone as she perused the menu.

 

“Fine,” Robin said. “How is it that you knew about her pregnancy and didn’t even care to tell me? It’s like I’m the last one in town to know.”

 

“You are,” Both Marian and Regina said at the same time, smirking at Robin. Mischief danced in Regina’s eyes and she continued, “You really could be, judging by the rate gossip spreads in this town.”

 

“Oh no,” Robin groaned, “Now the two of you are ganging up on me?”

 

Marian laughed and Regina sent him another one of her trademark smirks.

 

“You’re in for quite a lot, Robin of Locksley,” Regina said in a playful but equally dangerous tone. Robin groaned into his hands, earning him a series of giggles from his young son.

 

“On a more serious note, Marian, are you sure you’re fine with Roland calling me…” Regina trailed off, slight unease showing.

 

Marian replied her with a warm smile, “Well, Robin has assured me that you are a changed person and I can see that as well. So unless you fall back onto your… old habits, then I don’t see a problem with Roland having two mothers doting on him.”

 

“Thank you,” Regina smiled gratefully and proceeded to feed Roland some of the pie that Marian had ordered for him.

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

“You guys ready?” Regina turned around and asked. Robin had insisted on going along and Regina found herself unable to refuse. They were now standing on the edge of the clearing, where the Ice Castle stood. There was still time for any of them to turn around and walk back the way they came.

 

All three of her companions nodded. Regina straightened her posture and strode regally towards the castle. She spared no glance to the two snowmen and walked through the open doors.

 

“Well, Regina, I’ve been waiting for you all week. How’s our little baby doing?” Elsa spoke in a sickly-sweet voice that made Regina’s blood boil.

 

“You do not get to speak about my child that way. Now, I’ve brought the Dark One, fulfill your end of the deal,” Regina said coldly.

 

The Ice Queen laughed and emerged from where she had been sitting behind a large throne, “An impatient mother-to-be, I see.”

 

Regina had to remind herself constantly that attacking the woman would be a death sentence.

 

“I don’t see the Dark One here. Where is Zoso?” Elsa said, looking at the four of them, her voice rising with anger.

 

A look of confusion and fear crossed Regina’s eyes but she masked it perfectly in a matter of seconds. “Zoso? Who is Zoso? Rumplestiltskin is the Dark One,” She explained, glancing at Rumple in hopes that he may provide some answers.

 

“I killed Zoso decades ago. I am the Dark One now,” Rumple said, holding up his dagger as proof. “So tell me, dearie, what do you seek from me?”

 

Elsa flared into a temper, unleashing ice spikes growing from the ground, stopping just inches from the four of them. Robin wrapped his body around Regina to protect her from the spikes the moment Elsa unleashed the spikes upon them. Rumple did something similar, stepping in front of Belle, holding her behind him.

 

“I am after Zoso! That freak captured me and kept me in a bloody urn until I broke free that day, only to find myself in this strange new land with no way of going back to my sister. Imagine my joy when I hear that the Dark One was in town and Snow White and her family and the Evil Queen were interested in what I’ve done to their precious town. And now, now you tell me Zoso is dead!” Elsa shrieked, going on an angry rant.

 

“You know what? If I don’t get to have my revenge, then this town does not deserve it freedom from my icy wrath either!” With that, the ice spikes grew towards them, forcing them to retreat and leave the castle, thankfully unharmed.

 

Robin could feel Regina shaking in his arms as they stood in the forest outside the castle, having finally escaped the wrath of the Ice Queen. Rumple and Belle had continued on to their car, informing the pair that they would continue to help the town fight this new enemy. Robin held Regina firmly in his arms, gently guiding her to a nearby fallen tree trunk. They sat down and Regina rested her head on Robin’s shoulder, basking in the comfort of Robin’s hand rubbing her back. She let a small tear drip down her face.

 

“Regina,” Robin soothed, “Our baby will be okay.”

 

Ever since the baby’s heart got covered by Elsa’s frost, Regina appeared to have lost the fight in her. Robin knew that it was because of all that she has lost, that she was resigned to the fact that she could never have happiness, even if it came in the form of a young child.

 

“We’ll do whatever we can to save the child. But first, I need my Regina back. I need the bold and audacious woman I knew, with that strong fighting will and resilient heart; The stunning lady with a great capacity to love,” Robin whispered into her hair, his words bringing her the strength she required. Regina looked up and pulled Robin towards her, their lips meeting hungrily. Their tongues danced around each other’s mouth and when their kiss broke, Robin could see the return of the fire in Regina’s eyes.

 

“Our baby will be okay,” Regina reiterated Robin’s words. Robin smiled and nodded, pulling her in for one more kiss before they headed back.

* * *

 

“Mom?” Henry looks up from his breakfast abruptly.

 

“Yes, honey?”

 

“Why don’t you just ask Robin to move in?”

 

Regina nearly choked on the juice she was drinking, her cheeks coloring significantly.

 

“I mean, he’s practically living here already,” Henry grins, pointing out the fact that Robin has been spending most nights at their house. “So why waste money on rent at Granny’s when he can simply move in? It’ll be cool to live with Robin Hood and you’re soul mates.”

 

“Henry, it’s not that simple. I mean, we don’t even know what Robin would think of this.”

 

“What would Robin think of?” Robin said as he strode into the kitchen, having just woken up.

 

“Robin,” Regina said in surprise, her eyes growing wide like a deer caught in headlights. “It’s nothing,” She said just as Henry interrupted.

 

“Oh, we were just wondering if you would like to move in with us. We have plenty of rooms and you can save on rent at the B&B. After all, you’re practically living here already,” Henry said with a wide grin, trying to look as innocent as ever, despite all the schemes he has in his head. Regina’s face seems as red as the apples on the counter. She bit down on her lip, avoiding Robin’s gaze by looking down at her food.

 

“Well, if your mother is really fine with it, then I’d love to,” Robin announced, smiling at Regina as she looked up in surprise, the joy dancing in her eyes. Her lips curled up into a small smile as he leaned in for a kiss.

 

“Eww, gross! I love you guys but I’d appreciate it if you toned down on that,” Henry complained, causing the couple to pull away and chuckle at his comment.

 

* * *

 

“We can convert one of the guest rooms to a room for Roland, for the nights you get him,” Regina suggested. “He can choose the decorations and furniture, maybe have forest wallpaper or something.”

 

Robin smiled thoughtfully, “Are you sure you want to let him select those? He happens to have a certain fondness for monkeys nowadays.”

 

“Well, how about we allow him to choose some but we’d still have the last say?” Regina smiled.

 

“That sounds good. I’m rooting for the forest wallpaper though,” He winked, causing Regina to laugh in return.

 

“Alright, I've got to go pick Roland up now. I’ll see you later?” Robin leaned in to kiss Regina.

 

“I’ll be in my vault. There’s something I need to do. Henry knows where it is so if I’m not back by lunch, you guys can come and look for me,” She smiled and gave him one last peck on the lips before he left.

 

Regina searched all over her vault until she found the necessary ingredients. Once she found all of them, she brought them into her secret room, where the equipment has already been set up. She carefully measured each ingredient and added them to the correct beakers and flasks. She gently coaxed the flames to the right levels and waited for the potion to drip into the empty beaker at the end.

 

She had barely sat down for a rest when Henry’s voice rang out from outside, “Mom? You still here?”

 

She went and opened the door to reveal a surprised Henry and mildly impressed Robin, who was carrying Roland. The trio entered her secret room after her and looked around, taking in the Evil Queen outfits that were on display at the far end of the room and her potion equipment.

 

“Wow, I never knew this existed. This is awesome!” Henry marveled.

 

“Regina, what are you doing?” Robin asked, looking at the potion equipment, as the first few drops of the potion she was making dripped into the beaker.

 

“You’ll see. Hold on to Roland though, my vault is not a safe place for children to be,” Regina said as she removed her necklace and dripped seven drops of the potion onto it. The pendant was in the shape of a shield, with a glass center.

 

“You look pretty attractive when you do magic,” Robin said, causing Regina to blush a little.

 

“Don’t encourage her! She’s supposed to minimize the use of magic,” Henry interrupted the moment. “But I’m sure she’s just using it for good and when it’s necessary. Right, Mom?” He hastily added when he saw Regina’s crestfallen face.

 

“Oh, um, yeah. The potion turns the pendant into some kind of an amulet. It’ll show us the state of the baby’s heart. The glass will be colored red if it’s healthy, and dark blue when it’s completely frozen. Right now, it should be a light shade of blue,” Regina explained as she put on the necklace and the glass instantly changed into the light shade of blue she mentioned, indicating the layer of frost around her baby’s heart.

 

“It’ll tell us how much time we have to convince Elsa to reverse her spell,” She continued in a smaller voice and cleared her equipment with a wave of her hand. Before Robin could comfort his love, Henry stepped forward and hugged his mother tightly.

 

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m sure we’ll find a way to save my little sibling.”

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

“Miss Mills? Dr. Whale can see you now,” The nurse called out from her station. Regina nodded and proceeded to enter the examination room when she noticed that Robin was not following behind. She turned around to find Robin grasping his hands, deep in thought.

 

“Come on, Robin. It’s just a routine checkup,” She smiled warmly and dragged him into the room. It was understandable that Robin was nervous about going for a prenatal checkup with her. It was his very first time after all. They didn’t have such technology in the Enchanted Forest so he obviously hadn’t experienced such stuff with Marian’s pregnancy.

 

Robin remained quiet during most of the checkup as Dr. Whale flooded Regina with question after question regarding her pregnancy. He checked her blood pressure and did some tests on her urine and throughout all that, Robin never spoke a word. Regina thought that Robin must be more nervous than he let on, especially when he responded half-heartedly to her shock over how much weight she had gained. She knew she was showing but she never expected to put on that much weight.

 

Dr. Whale had left the ultrasound to the end.

 

“Since you were unconscious during your last checkup, perhaps you’d like to listen to your child’s heartbeat this time?” Dr. Whale enquired. Regina smiled and nodded eagerly, before turning to look at Robin to gauge his reaction.

 

“This machine. It can do that?” Robin asked, visibly surprised. Dr. Whale nodded and launched into an unneeded explanation on how it works, which Regina tuned out of. Minutes later, Regina and Robin heard the slow, steady heartbeat of their child as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Regina’s eyes were brimming with tears and she could’ve sworn that Robin teared slightly too. Yet, Dr. Whale was looking at them with a frown.

 

“What is it?” Regina asked in an almost-whisper, fearing the worst for her child.

 

“It’s just, everything seems to be perfectly fine except that the fetus’ heartbeat is rather slow,” He addressed her concerns. Relief flooded the couple and Regina explained their circumstances.

 

“It’s most likely the layer of frost that Elsa cast around the heart.”

 

Dr. Whale nodded and agreed that it was a plausible reason. He moved the probe around slightly and then stopped with a knowing, “Ah…”

 

“Would you like to know the gender of your baby?” He asked the couple.

 

Regina looked up at Robin, “It’s your call.”

 

Robin did not even hesitate to reply with a grin, “Yes.”

 

Regina turned back to Dr. Whale, “Yes, we’d like to know very much, please.”

 

“I’m about ninety-five percent sure that it’s a girl, even though you’re at fifteen weeks. I should be able to confirm fully at your next visit,” He smiled and proceeded to switch off the machine, leaving the room to grant the couple some privacy.

 

“We’re having a daughter,” Robin smiled as he finally digested the news. Regina smiled back pulled him in for a kiss before wiping the gel off and dressing herself.

 

* * *

 

When they left the hospital, they were surprised to see that the weather had taken a change for the worse. It appeared to be the early onset of a blizzard, something which Regina was sure that Elsa was behind.

 

They had left Roland and Henry at home with Emma and the Charmings. It had originally been just Emma but Henry insisted that David come along so that they could practice sword fighting. In the end, even Snow and baby Neal tagged along and Regina had no say about that.

 

Regina and Robin rushed home before they could get caught in the blizzard. Mary Margaret was pacing the living room, sick with worry. Her face lit up when they finally arrived, just as it became a full-blown snowstorm.

 

“Oh, I’m so glad you guys made it back before the storm got any worse,” Snow said in relief.

 

“Who knows when this will last, though. It’s got to be Elsa’s doing,” Regina grumbled.

 

“You have got enough supplies here right?” David asked as the thought suddenly crossed his mind.

 

“Since when was Regina Mills without a well-stocked refrigerator and pantry? She probably has everything anyone needs in this house,” Emma remarked, and Regina rolled her eyes.

 

“Well, you guys might as well entertain yourselves since we’re going to be here for quite awhile. I’m going upstairs to check on the kids,” With that, Regina headed up the stairs towards Henry’s room, where she was sure the two boys would be. Roland’s room was next to Henry’s, but he still preferred to spend much of his time in Henry’s room. As expected, the two of them were playing video games, with Henry letting the younger boy win occasionally. Regina smiled as she watched the two boys play. Henry ensured that he let Roland win just enough to maintain his own lead and prevent Roland from losing too badly. Her son was kind-hearted but he always had a competitive streak in him. At least he lets Roland win at times, since he never lets Regina win.

 

“Mom! You’re back! How was the checkup?” Henry smiled up at her when he turned to find her standing by the doorway, smiling as she watched the two of them play.

 

“It went alright. Robin was rather nervous,” She replied, chuckling as she remembered Robin’s reactions. “Are you boys warm enough? There’s a raging blizzard out there.”

Regina made a move to obtain more blankets from the cupboards above Henry’s wardrobe but was interrupted by her son, “It’s okay, Mom. We’re fine, aren’t we, Roland?”

 

The younger boy nodded fervently, eyes still glued to the screen. Regina sat down on Henry’s bed, but her attention was drawn to the fierce storm outside the window instead. She sighed as she placed her hand absent-mindedly over her baby bump. Who knew how long this fight against the Ice Queen would last. Regina was glad that the shade of blue on the amulet hadn’t grown any darker. But if her suspicions were true, then her daughter would die upon childbirth if they didn’t destroy the Queen and find some way to thaw that layer of frost.

 

She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t notice Mary Margaret’s presence in the room until the woman placed one hand upon her shoulders. She looked up and was faced with Snow’s knowing smile. The old Regina would be infuriated with the Princess’ expression immediately. Yet, this Regina understood the well-being behind that smile. Snow knew how it felt to have your unborn child’s life threatened because it was just a few short months ago when she was under a similar threat, courtesy of Regina’s own half-sister. The worries and fears could be overwhelming at times. Her hand lingered on her shoulder and Regina let it be. She found solace in it. In fact, after the saga with Zelena, Regina had learnt to accept the company Snow was willing to give and it had helped to mend the relationship between the two women.

 

“You know, your step-sister’s younger than your son,” Regina quipped as they left Henry’s room.

 

“You just couldn’t resist, could you?” Snow replied, before her eyes went wide with realization and she broke into a huge smile.

 

“Sister? Oh, Regina, it’s going to be a girl?” She shrieked excitedly and Regina couldn’t help but smile back at her. The next thing she knew, she was engulfed into a huge bear hug by her step-daughter. The moment was broken by the sound of Emma cursing from downstairs, causing the two women to rush down in alarm.

 

* * *

 

Rumplestiltskin was sitting comfortably in an armchair, with David and Robin surrounding him with hostile looks and Emma still trying to calm herself down from the shock of his sudden appearance. It was a miracle that none of them had attacked the Dark One, not that they would have succeeded anyway.

 

“Rumple, what brings you here?” Regina asked when she registered her former mentor’s presence in her mayoral home.

 

“To discuss the weather, dearie,” He spoke about it like it was the most obvious thing to be talking about at that moment.

 

“Well, what do you have on her?” She asked, sitting down on the side of the couch that was closer to him.

 

He produced an ancient-looking book with magic, and handed it to her. Regina thumbed through it, trying to absorb as much information as possible during that short span of time.

 

“Are you sure that this was what Zoso did?” She enquired when she got a gist of what Rumple wanted to do. He nodded.

 

“But it won’t be easy to get near her,” Regina voiced her thoughts.

 

“See, this is where you come in, dearie. It’s just like any other deal. I provide part of the solution, you figure out the rest. We both stand to gain when we get our town back,” Rumple replied with an impish laugh.

 

When Regina did not respond, he added, “We both know that it has to be done before you’re due or the child’s life will be lost. Tell me when you have a plan.”

 

With that, the imp disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of fluff

“Regina, you need to fill us in on what just went on here,” Emma stated. The exchange between the former teacher and student was hard to follow for the rest of them and now, they demanded to know the details.

 

Regina rolled her eyes at Emma’s statement. Of course, the three idiots would not understand.

 

“Rumple found a way to contain the Ice Queen and stop this madness. Once she has been captured, her powers will cease to affect this town, meaning, the blizzard will stop and we would have the seasons back to normal. However, his way requires someone to get near the woman. The person would have to be near enough to use magic to melt her into water, to be contained in a special urn. Only then would her magic over this town cease to exist,” Regina explained.

 

“Which means that there’re only three suitable candidates,” Emma mused.

 

“One actually. Rumple would not go near the woman and your lack of control over your magic does not make you a suitable candidate. I would have to do it.”

 

“But Regina, our child,” Robin cut in with a worried frown. He did not want the woman anywhere near the Ice Queen, especially after what the Elemental did to their daughter’s heart. He couldn’t take losing Regina again nor did he want his child’s life to be risked in this manner.

 

Regina took his hand in hers and squeezed it affectionately, “Don’t worry, Robin. It’ll be fine.”

 

“So our main problem now would be getting near Elsa?” David added.

 

“Anna…” Snow uttered and received confused looks from the others.

 

“The book mentioned that Elsa has a sister called Anna. If we can pretend to be her, we may be able to get close enough to Elsa,” Snow said.

 

“And how do you suppose we pretend to be the Princess when we don’t even know what she looks like?” Regina quipped.

 

“We ask around town, when the blizzard stops,” David said, now on the same page as his wife.

 

Regina nodded, deep in thought. “That is actually a pretty good idea, coming from you two. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I think I need some sleep. Do settle yourselves into any of the guest rooms,” She finally said, before making a move to head upstairs, Robin in tow.

 

Regina was genuinely tired. After the discussion, Robin had gone to tuck the children into bed, giving Regina time to set aside some clothes for their guests, as well as to shower. She fell asleep the minute her head touched her pillow. Robin joined her after awhile, wrapping his arms around her and spooning her. She hadn’t known how much she missed his touch until that night when he discovered the pregnancy. She felt so right in his arms, like they belong that way and nothing would ever come in between them. She leaned back into his body, pressing herself closer to him in her slumber and he holds her in a tight embrace as they slept.

 

* * *

 

Regina was used to being the first to wake in the household. Hence, she was surprised to find Snow already in the kitchen when she went downstairs. She shouldn’t be surprised, really, but she still was. This explained why when she stepped into the kitchen, wrapped in her robe, she let out a surprised, “Oh!”

 

“Good Morning, Regina,” Snow’s bright voice rang out in reply. She was dressed in one of Regina’s robes, which looks odd on her. She sat at the counter nursing a cup of coffee.

 

“Good morning. I didn’t think that there would be anyone who would rise earlier than I do,” Regina took out a bottle of apple juice and poured herself a cup. “I take it that there is hot water in the kettle?”

 

Snow nodded, “I haven’t gotten around to making breakfast though, since I wasn’t sure if you would be okay with me taking over the kitchen.”

 

“Wise choice. How do pancakes sound?” Regina did not even leave Snow with any opportunity to respond before she set to making the batter from scratch. She took out a Tupperware containing sliced strawberries as well as a packet of chocolate chips from the refrigerator.

 

Snow watched the older woman work. She knew that her ex-stepmother is a brilliant cook but it never struck her how at ease the woman was in her kitchen. She moved gracefully around the kitchen, taking the necessary utensils and ingredients out. Before she knew it, Regina had whipped up two stacks of pancakes and carried them into the dining room. Snow got to her feet and helped the brunette bring the juice, tea, whipped cream and condiments to the table. She was truly impressed by Regina’s display of her cooking skills.

 

Regina noticed the younger woman staring in awe as she worked her way through the kitchen but she chose to ignore it. Regina was about to return upstairs to change into something more appropriate when she was stopped by the petite brunette.

 

“Regina, you were amazing in there!” Snow exclaimed like a little fan girl.

 

Regina shook her head at her antics and quipped with a small smirk, “Flattery will get you nowhere, dear.”

 

Once Regina had changed into the gray number she wore the first time she met Emma, she went to wake Robin up with kisses. Robin stirred sleepily and squinted at her with a smile on his face. “Good morning, breakfast is ready,” Regina smiled, leaning in to give him one more kiss before breaking away.

 

“Mmm, morning, Milady. Nice baby bump,” Robin winked as he admired her curves through the snugly fitted gray dress. Regina laughed throatily and left to wake her sons up.

 

_Her sons._

 

She never knew she could have this one day: A family where everyone truly loved and cared for each other. Her heart swelled with joy as she opened the door to Roland’s room and softly nudged the young boy awake.

 

“Roland, darling, it’s time to wake up. I made pancakes.”

 

Roland put his arms around Regina’s neck, urging her to carry him. She laughed and picked the little bundle up before heading next door into Henry’s room.

 

“Henry, sweetheart, I made chocolate chip pancakes. You have to hurry if you don’t want Emma to get them all,” She called out softly to his son, whose eyes immediately opened with alarm at the sound of Emma getting all the chocolate chip pancakes. He jumped out of his bed and into the bathroom, causing Regina to chuckle at his antics. Robin came in just as Henry closed the bathroom door and took Roland from her.

 

“Roland, you’re too heavy for Regina to carry,” he chided and was met with a soft protest from the sleepy child. The couple gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes, smiles plastered on their faces. Their moment was broken when Henry rushed out of the bathroom and down the stairs, shouting, “Pancakes!”

 

“Henry! How many times must I tell you not to run down the stairs?” Regina shouted but all she got was a half-hearted apology from her son. She looked back at Robin and they both laughed.

 

“Well, I guess I better head downstairs before all hell breaks lose,” Regina smiled.

 

“And I better get this kid to wash up for breakfast,” Robin replied before giving her another kiss and sliding one hand over her protruding bump. “I love this dress,” He whispered when they broke the kiss.

 

“Only because it shows the bump,” She teased back and went downstairs.

 

She entered the dining room to find Emma and Henry fighting over the stack of chocolate chip pancakes. She sighed and shook her head at the sight.

“Sometimes, I think that there are four kids in this house,” Regina told Snow as she sat down and reached for the strawberry pancakes. Snow laughed and continued to coo at baby Neal. Emma looked up to glare at Regina for insinuating that she was a kid, before getting distracted by Henry, who had taken the opportunity to steal one of her pancakes.

 

“Seriously, Miss Swan, there’s enough ingredients to make more. There is no need to fight my son for them. Pass the whipped cream, please,” She scolded and Emma passed her the can of whipped cream. Regina then topped her pancake with practically the entire can of whipped cream.

 

Both Henry and Emma gaped at her with horror. “Mom! You’re going to finish all the whipped cream!” Henry exclaimed before Regina understood the cause for concern.

 

She hid a smile and continued the assault on the can of whipped cream, occasionally putting some straight from the can into her mouth. Once the last of the whipped cream landed on her pancakes (which was now more of a mountain of cream), she looked at the mother and son innocently, “Oops, finished it all.”

 

Both of them groaned in disappointment just as Robin walked in to catch the scene.

 

“Regina! How could you?” Emma cried out in despair.

 

Before Regina could reply, Robin said in a slightly confused tone, “Didn’t we buy like six cans of those the day before yesterday?”

 

Both Emma and Henry’s ears perked up at what they heard and Regina sighed, “Robin! You ruined my fun!”

 

Robin simply shrugged and made a move to get some of the chocolate chip pancakes, only to be intercepted by Emma and Henry’s protective hands.

 

“See, I told you we have four kids,” Regina grinned at Snow before disappearing into the kitchen and returning with another can of whipped cream and a small stack of chocolate chip pancakes. The mother and son’s eyes followed the chocolate chip pancakes, until she set the plate down in front of Robin and Roland.

 

“Mom! You’re biased!” Henry exclaimed, and Emma supported his outburst with an earnest nod.

 

She laughed and shook her head, “They have four, you two have practically ten in that stack. So yeah, don’t blame me if I put some aside for them.”

 

Breakfast continued with such silly banter, which was only spurred further when Charming entered the dining room and practically pouted when he realized that there were only strawberry pancakes left.

 

“Nope, we have five kids,” Snow grinned at Regina.


	19. Chapter 19

It took a few days for the blizzard to clear up and when it did, everyone in the house were extremely relieved since food supplies were running low, especially when you have voracious eaters like David, Robin, Emma and Henry.

 

They got to work once they were cleared to leave the house. Regina and David called for a town meeting whilst Emma and Robin resumed their positions at the edge of the forest where the townsfolk were previously monitoring the Ice Queen. It was vital that the Ice Queen did not know about the specifics of the town meeting.

 

David called the floor to order, as Regina sat regally in a chair next to the podium. She was dressed in a royal blue dress that flattered her baby bump figure without making the bump too obvious. Most of the townsfolk had grown used to her presence, although there were still some people who were apprehensive about her motives and were making their opinions obvious by sending glares her way. David made way for her once he had gotten everyone to settle down and Regina stood up to take the stage.

 

“Citizens of Storybrooke, I’m sure that some of you may be unhappy to see me, but I still hope that you would listen to what I have to say, for it concerns everybody’s safety,” Regina began.

 

“I’m sure that most of you have heard about the Ice Queen who set us in this eternal winter, but I shall explain once more to clarify the doubts of those who have not,” She continued before launching into the explanation on Elsa, her motives and their fight.

 

“It has recently come to light that there is a way to fight this new foe. We need your help in this matter. If there is anyone who knows what Princess Anna of Arendelle looks like, now is the time for you to contribute to saving our town,” With that, she let David take the stage again.

 

Regina tuned out most of the rest of the meeting, paying attention only during the parts that interests her. Her attention was drawn when a young woman stood up nervously and introduced herself as Rapunzel. David seemed to recognise her instantly and Regina could have sworn that she had seen the woman somewhere before.

 

“I have information on Princess Anna,” She said in a small voice.

 

David nodded and sensing the lady’s fear of speaking out so publicly, requested that she see them when the meeting ended. The rest of the meeting past quickly and when the people of Storybrooke began to file out of the hall, Rapunzel approached the pair of them.

 

“David, Anna is a distant cousin of mine. I happen to have a painting of her in my house. Well, technically it’s one of her family with mine, but it should help with trying to morph into her,” Rapunzel said.

 

“Do you recall how she looks? If you do, I can make do with the painting and try to use the cloaking charm until I look exactly like how you remember her,” Regina replied. The other woman then invited them to her house to obtain the painting.

 

* * *

 

“You’re absolutely sure that I look and sound like her now?” Regina asked the princess, her voice coming out slightly higher and more chirpy than usual. The pair of them have been at this for the past two hours until Rapunzel told her that the look was finally perfected. David had left more than an hour ago to take over Emma.

 

“Well, it’s perfect. And her dress now conceals the bump completely,” Rapunzel smiled happily. It had taken over an hour before Regina realized that there was no way she could use the cloaking charm on her baby bump, so they were glad that she was not showing much yet.

 

“That’s good. Now, I just have to save my magic for the moment. Thank you for your help,” Regina said as she morphed back to herself. Before Rapunzel could reply, however, they were interrupted by the ground shaking rhythmically, coupled with screaming from outside. The two women braced themselves and retained their balance, before heading outside to see what the commotion was about.

 

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Regina muttered. They were greeted with the sight of both Marshmallows storming the streets, destroying property as they go. Regina whipped out her cellphone and called Emma immediately.

 

“Sheriff Swan, how the hell do you do your job?” She barked into the phone.

“I know! I’m on my way with the fairies. You might want to get Rumple,” Emma replied urgently. Regina was glad that for once, the woman actually had a plan. They were going to need as much help as they could get in fighting the monsters. Rapunzel had ran for shelter, together with the other Storybrooke citizens. She was glad that Snow and the children were on Mifflin Street instead of Main Street, for they would not be in the path of the monsters. Roland was with his mother, so he would likely be safe as well.

 

Regina raised her hands and purple smoke engulfed her. She reappeared in Rumple’s shop. “Rumplestiltskin!”

 

Rumple appeared from the back of the store, holding a vial filled with orange flames.

 

“Bottled fire. It requires minimal magic to conjure a huge flame. Unleash it, then send it back into the bottle when their job is complete and return it to me,” He passed her the vial before limping back in without another word.

 

Regina ran out of the shop to find the Marshmallows closing in on her - or at least, her end of the street. Emma and the fairies were already there, fighting the snowmen and doing minimal damage due to the regenerative abilities of the snowmen.

 

“Emma! Blue!” She called out to gain their attention. She gave both of them a firm nod and uncorked the vial, sending a huge wave of fire towards the snowmen just as the fairies and Emma retreated. The snowmen melted with loud roars and Regina let the fire burn slightly longer than required just in case. With the help of the fairies’ magic, they harvested the fire back into the vial.

 

They had barely just resealed the vial when Emma’s phone rang.

 

“Robin?” She said into the phone, before ending the call after hearing what Robin had to say. Emma then turned to Regina and the fairies.

 

“Robin just called. The queen has left the palace. She trapped David and Robin in a circle of ice spikes and she’s most likely heading our way. We have to bring our plan forward.”

 

Regina gave her a firm nod before disappearing back into Rumple’s shop to warn the man. Emma then briefed Blue and the other fairies on what they had to do, “We need some crowd control. Keep people off the streets as much as possible.”

 

“It’s too late for that. She’s already doing some crowd control of her own,” Tinkerbell said, her eyes wide and looking in the direction of the far end of the street. Elsa was striding gracefully towards them, leaving a trail of ice behind her as she moved. She trapped those who tried to run in a circle of ice spikes and froze those who tried to escape even with the spikes. Only those who remained still were left untouched.

 

“Hey Icy! How about you fight someone your own size?” Emma shouted towards the Ice Queen, garnering her attention. With a sneer, she sent an ice spike flying towards the Savior, who deftly dodged it. Remembering what Regina taught her about using her magic, Emma conjured a fireball and sent it flying towards the lady in blue. Elsa blocked it easily with a wall of ice.

 

The two women continued to exchange blows. Emma was trying to buy enough time for Regina, as well as for the fairies to evacuate as many as possible. Emma knew she could not hold off much longer, especially when she narrowly dodged one of the ice spikes and ended up having her left arm nicked by the spike.

 

“Oh, this is it,” Emma muttered through gritted teeth. She whipped out her pistol and began shooting at the Queen of Arendelle. When her first ice wall failed to block a bullet, she sent ice spikes raining down towards Emma like arrows. Emma held up her right arm, waiting for the pain which never came. Regina was right, her magic worked with instinct. She did not even know how she managed to set up a shield strong enough to protect herself. Elsa fell to the ground as a bullet hit her in her left thigh, right above her knee.

 

* * *

 

“Rumple! It’s time! The urn! Quick!” Regina said urgently the moment she appeared in Rumple’s shop for the second time that day. Without another word, Rumple immediately handed her a golden urn before taking the vial from her. She took it from him and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

 

Regina reappeared in an alley behind where Elsa had fallen. In a flash of purple light, she transformed into Anna and walked out of the alley carefully. The first thing she noticed amidst the standstill during the fight between the two blondes was that as much as the fairies tried to shepherd the townsfolk away, there were still a few people standing around. Granny had her crossbow pointed towards Elsa, ready to shoot if required. The dwarves had picked up ice spikes to use as weapons, which Regina doubt would be effective against the elemental.

 

Before anyone else noticed anything, she slid a black pouch into Tinkerbell’s hand, knowing that her winged friend would keep her heart safe. There was no way she would go into this fight with her heart in her body, knowing that the Ice Queen could easily freeze it. It would be more dangerous than bringing her heart to a witch fight. The fairy gave her a reassuring smile and Regina continued to stalk in Elsa’s direction.

 

“Elsa?” Regina called out to the blonde, who turned towards her in shock.

 

“Anna…” She breathed, unable to believe that her sister was right in front of her. When she came to her senses, she began to scramble away from the approaching redhead.

 

“No! Anna! Don’t come near me. I don’t want to hurt you!” She screamed hysterically, the fear of hurting her loved ones getting to her. A hint of confusion flashed through Regina’s eyes and for a moment, she was afraid that their plan would fail. The urn was tucked safely in her pocket and Regina brushed her hand discretely over it just to ensure that it was still there.

 

Holding out both hands, she cried, “Please, Elsa. Stop this, stop the destruction and come back with me.”

 

It was a near-perfect imitation of the princess. Regina had done just what Rapunzel had taught her to. Elsa placed her head in both her hands, as if at a dilemma as to what to do. Regina, disguised as Anna, crept nearer and slid the urn out of her pocket, ready to capture the Ice Queen.

 

What happened next was something no one would even think to expect. The blonde saw her sister’s figure approaching her and let her fear get to the better of her. She let out an accidental burst of ice magic. To both Regina and Marian’s utmost horror, Roland, who had somehow appeared on the street amidst the commotion, stood right in the path of fire - or ice, in this case.

 

The next few seconds were a blur. Marian ran towards her son and covered him with her body, bracing herself for the impact. Yet, it never came. When she opened her eyes, there was Regina, standing between Elsa and her. She was frozen solid, no longer looking like the redhead she was pretending to be, the determination to save Roland preserved on her frozen face.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one chapter and the Epilogue to go


	20. Chapter 20

Robin and David rushed towards Main Street when they had finally freed themselves from their prison made of ice spikes. They reached just in time to see a shot of blue heading towards Roland. Robin felt his breath hitch in his throat as he witnessed the scene in front of him.

 

The young redhead morphed back into Regina, disappearing and reappearing in a puff of purple smoke in front of his ex-wife and young son, all in a matter of seconds. He watched in horror as the blue magic hit Regina right in the chest and her body was immediately immobilized and covered in a layer of ice.

 

“Regina!” Robin let out an anguished cry as he ran towards the love of his life.

 

“No! Please don’t. Don’t die on me, Regina,” He cried, cupping her frozen face in his hands. Marian was trying to restrain a crying Roland, covering his eyes and ears to prevent him from having to watch such a scene. There were tears in her eyes as she watched Robin desperately rubbing Regina’s frozen arms and face in an attempt to unfreeze her.

 

* * *

 

Emma reacted immediately after Regina dropped the urn to save Roland. Taking the opportunity, she ran towards Elsa and picked up the urn. Recalling Rumple’s instructions to Regina, she did as he told and captured Elsa with the urn during the split second when she was distracted and confused by the commotion.

 

It was already too late when the Ice Queen realized what was going on. She disappeared into the urn with an angry cry, vowing to avenge herself.

 

The temperature around them rose dramatically. The snow and ice melt into puddles of water around them and the cool, early autumn winds return. They had missed most of the summer in the fight, but were still grateful for the return of the seasons.

 

The street was impregnated with silence, other than the sounds of nature returning to normal. Everyone watched on as the heartbroken man shed tears over his frozen lover, who had sacrificed her life for that of his son and in the event, saved two.

 

It took the Green Fairy a moment before she noticed that the heart in the satchel she had been trusted with was still pulsing strongly. She gasped when it dawned on her that there was still hope for her friend.

 

“Robin! Her heart! It still beats!” She exclaimed, handing him the heart which was more red than black now. Robin looked up in surprise with hope-filled eyes. His face fell when he realized that he had no means to melt Regina’s body nor to place the heart back.

 

“Robin, look!” Marian called out from behind Regina, pointing at the woman’s back. Cracks in the ice on Regina’s back were beginning to show and they soon spread over her body. It took another few minutes before the cracks grew wider and shattered the ice, causing the fragments to fall onto the ground.

 

Without the support of the solid ice, an unconscious Regina fell to the ground. Robin broke her fall by catching her in his arms. Her skin felt ice cold to the touch and Robin hugged her closer to his body in a bid to warm her up.

 

Her heart. He had to put her heart back in.

 

Recalling how they had done it together when she finally got her heart back from Zelena that first time, he mimicked the actions and hoped that it would work. The heart glowed at the contact and slipped easily back into Regina’s body.

 

Regina awoke with a gasp, warmth beginning to return to her body. She looked up into Robin’s blue eyes and felt the panic setting in.

 

“Roland! Is he alright?” She said, sitting up suddenly and looking around desperately for the boy.

 

Robin tightened his grip on her, “Regina, he’s fine! You saved him and Marian.”

 

When her eyes found the mother and son, she looked at Marian for confirmation. Marian smiled and nodded at her reassuringly, mouthing a ‘Thank you’ to her.

 

“What happened?” Regina asked, looking between Robin and the approaching Emma for an explanation when she noticed that Elsa was gone.

 

“You sacrificed yourself to save Roland, just as Marian covered his body with hers. So you kinda saved both of them at the same time,” Emma began.

 

“I took the chance when Elsa was distracted and managed to capture her in the urn…” She continued before being interrupted by Rumple.

 

“And the urn you shall return,” He said in his usual sing-song voice, stretching his hand out for the urn which Emma was holding. Once it had been safely tucked away in a box he had been holding, he used his cane to point at Regina’s amulet necklace.

 

Regina’s gaze followed the direction of the cane and she gasped when she noticed that the glass was no longer light blue but was glowing bright red. Her now tear-filled eyes glanced at Robin before settling back on her former mentor in hopes that he would have an explanation for this.

 

“Elsa’s magic hit you in the chest. You had already taken your heart out, didn’t you?” Rumple said half-heartedly, seemingly bored by this exchange. Regina nodded.

 

“Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart and there’s no love truer than a mother’s love,” He continued, waving his hand in circles, hoping that the brunette catches his drift. It took her awhile but she seemed to have gotten it.

 

“It was supposed to be my heart that got frozen but instead, the magic latched onto the next available heart, freezing my daughter’s heart. But because I sacrificed my life for Roland, it was an act of true love for the child and so, the ice around the baby’s heart thawed,” Regina completed Rumple’s explanation but Robin still had a few questions of his own.

 

“But you were frozen and the ice around you took so long to thaw. Why is that so?”

 

“Magic works differently in different places and when cast by different people. Elsa’s magic works differently on both animate and inanimate objects. That’s why it was faster for the weather to return to normal.”

 

“Well, whatever it is, I’m glad to have you and our child back,” Robin smiled at his soul mate. Both of them got lost in each other’s eyes and tightened their embrace. They shared a deep and passionate kiss, ignoring the presence of most of the townsfolk, until David cleared his throat.

 

The couple pulled away from each other and glanced at David questioningly. He looked back at them uncomfortably and uttered, “We have an entire town to clean up…”

 

Regina simply ignored the prince and pulled Robin back towards her for another kiss. It had been a long day and after everything they’ve been through, this was what she needed most.

 

“I love you,” She whispered when they finally broke apart.

  
“I love you too,” Robin smiled and his lips crashed upon hers again.


	21. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the end. Thank you all for staying with me during this short period of time. Once again, I apologize for any grammatical or spelling error, or if there happens to be any discrepancies in portrayal of characters. This is my very first fic ever and the very first multi-chaptered story I ever completed. So, thank you for reading.

“I fucking hate you, Robin!” Regina said angrily between breaths, screaming the last part as another wave of contractions came. No one had warned her that the pain would be this bad.

 

“Shh… It’s okay, darling. Just breathe. I’m here. You can do this,” Robin soothed, feeling her grip on his arm tighten further as another wave of pain hit her. He found it adorably funny that for someone so against the use of expletives, she had been screaming vulgarities at him for the past hour since the worst of her contractions began.

 

“C’mon Regina, another two big pushes and you should be able to do it,” The doctor urged. “Okay, right now, push!”

 

Regina took a deep breath and pushed just as the next wave hit. She let out a loud cry of pain and nestled her head in the crook of Robin’s neck as he continued to soothe her.

 

“Well done, Regina, just one more and your baby will be out,” The doctor droned on and Regina had half a mind to curse him into oblivion. Having spent the past few hours listening to the annoying man and then having him deny her of epidural due to her being fully dilated, it was a miracle that the doctor was still in one piece.

 

One last push and her daughter was born. Regina collapsed against Robin, the labor having worn her out. She was still panting but when the doctor placed her beautiful newborn daughter in her arms, she felt her breath hitch in her throat. Tears were streaming uncontrollably down her face as she smiled at the beautiful baby she was cradling in her arms.

 

Robin was so happy that he felt that his heart could burst out of his chest at any moment. He kissed Regina on the crown of her head, “You did it.”

 

Regina kissed Robin before breaking away and smiling up at him.

 

“No, we did it,” She whispered. She looked at him apologetically as she ran her fingers over the fresh cuts on his arms as a result of her grip on his arms during childbirth.

* * *

 

Regina sat in the booth, cradling her baby girl as people bustled around them. It felt like a repeat of that night in the diner over seven months ago, during the coronation party for baby Neal. Except, this time, she was certain that the night would end well.

 

A flurry of movements broke her train of thoughts, as Henry and Roland sidled into the cushioned seats opposite her, each holding a plate of food. Henry stuffed his mouth with lasagna and smiled at her.

 

“Mom, is it time?” He asked with his mouth partially full. She shook her head at his antics. Her little prince was learning all the wrong stuff from his biological mother.

 

“I’m not sure. We’ll have to wait for Robin. And young man, what did I tell you about speaking with your mouth full?” She chided.

 

“Sorry, Mom,” He smiled sheepishly. Robin came over with a glass of wine for her. He leaned down to kiss her on the forehead before informing her that it was time for them to announce the name of their child.

 

“People of Storybrooke,” Robin cleared his throat and began, garnering the attention of those in the diner. “It is with great pleasure that we announce to you the name of our darling daughter.”

 

“Citizens of Storybrooke, I present to you, young Vida of Locksley, our little Outlaw Princess,” Regina said aloud, cheers erupting from all those in the diner. Snow then approached her with a huge smile on her face.

 

“Vida, I like it,” She said as Regina gently passed the baby to her.

 

“Well, it seems like it’s in our blood to view love as strength, not weakness. I’d like my child to grow up understanding this,” Regina explained. Snow grinned at her and carried the little girl to where the rest of her family were seated, providing Regina with the opportunity to relax a little for the evening.

 

Regina took a sip of wine as Robin sat down next to her. He put his arm around her and she leaned against his body. She never thought that she would ever have this. That night, Regina felt like the luckiest woman in the world, to have such a great family whom she loves and who loves her back. She knew that with Robin, she can never go wrong. This was her second chance with her second chance and both of them will never let go of it.

 

 


End file.
